Sky Metamorphosis
by janrea
Summary: Cloud is a SOLDIER cadet who had almost decided to give up but was encouraged by Zack and changes himself to strive on. As he develops himself as a future SOLDIER he also catches the eyes of a silver haired general along with others..SephxCloud
1. Chapter 1

**Title**: Sky Metamorphosis

**Pairing**: Sephiroth x Cloud

**A/N**: Sephiroth and Cloud~! Another one of my major addictions…I shouldn't have started writing this fic, since I have an un-updated Vampire Knight fic…But the story is just so stuck in my head that I had to start writing it. Hope you guys like it!

**Disclaimer**: I hope Final Fantasy is mine, but it ain't…Ah, the woes…

Chapter One

A soft groan was heard in the darkened room before a lone figure sat up. The other boys slept on, filling the silent air with the occasional snores or grunts. The figure shook his head to clear away his sleepiness, his unruly hair falling all over his face. Giving a stray strand a soft pull, he decided that he had better cut his hair as soon as possible. Slipping onto his slippers, he grabbed his towel and clothes before making way out of the room and into the brightly lit white halls of the Shinra training faculty. Turning in the direction of the shared bathrooms, he walked slowly through the seemingly deserted hallway. It was too early in the morning and seeing that they did have one hell of a training yesterday, it was no wonder that none of his peers were awake yet.

Turning a corner and pushing open the white double swinging doors which led to the baths, he sighed softly to himself when he felt a particular sharp jab at his abdomen as a result of his movements. Stopping in front of a whole line of sinks and mirrors, he washed his face before raising his head to look at his own image projected by the mirror. The first thing he registered was how unkempt his blonde hair is, sticking out in an anti-gravity manner and falling softly around his face in the front, framing it and giving it an almost delicate look. His face wasn't at all manly, void of all the sharp edges and unrefined callousness. In fact, it was roundly and slender, almost in the shape of the acorn, and his skin was in a soft cream white. These two features, accompanied by the pair of almond shaped blue eyes with long eyelashes and slim brows, were enough to set his face as one which is too feminine for a male's features. And if he were being completely honest to himself, his features were too beautifully refined that he almost loathed it sometimes.

It was a fact in SOLDIER's barracks that guys with looks like his were often subjects to bullying and humiliation. Almost sub-consciously, his hand rested on his waist, tracing gently in circles. With a small wistful sigh, his lips set into a deep firm line, and with both hands on the hem of his shirt, he pulled it off with a swift tug.

Biting his lower lip to keep himself from making any noise, he looked down at the blue and black bruises formed around his abdomen. Scrutinizing one particularly large patch at his side, he sighed again before reaching into one of the pockets on his saggy military issued pants and took out a tube of ointment. He had been forced to resort to keeping a few useful items such as bandage, plaster, ointment, and a few cotton pads in his pockets after he had been almost bludgeoned to unconsciousness a few weeks before. It was really rather useful, and it had been an excellent excuse for him to hone his medicinal and bandaging skills.

A sarcastic albeit amused scoff escaped his lips, and he wondered how on Gaia he could still manage to humor himself with the situation he's in. But he knew better than to fall deep into depression, no, that was one thing his stubbornness would not allow him privilege to. He was Cloud Strife damn it! Born and raised in the harsh and chilling environment of the Nibelheim Mountains, and he would be damned if he allowed those city-raised, fed by a silver spoon, good for nothing bunch of bullies with all brawns but no brains to get the best of him.

If there had been one thing that his mother had been inexplicably proud of her son, aside from his obvious good looks of course, was the stubborn determination and optimism that he had in him. And Cloud was determined to live up to that reputation. But still, these few weeks had been abnormally tough on him, and even someone as hopeful as him was beginning to feel strained and stressed. Raising his head again to his reflection in the mirror to mutely observe the dark circles under his eyes and noting that his eyes seemed to have lost a tint of its brightness, Cloud shook his head morosely.

Yes, he was starting to lose faith and he knew it.

He couldn't really help it, but the taunts and bullying had taken a whole new level recently. At first it had only been mindless jeers and remarks on his small and lithe built and pretty looks. He had remained unmoved to all those, his docile and more peaceful nature more willing to just take it and tolerate it, hoping it will pass. But it seemed that his lack of response irked the bullies even more, and they had then resorted to vandalizing his properties and pulling odd pranks on him. Making him trip or fall during combat training, ruin his notes, hideaway his homework—that sort of stuff, and Cloud had been almost tempted to just get in a fight with them but stuffed the thought away at the notion of the more damaging punishment he would receive. If there was one thing that being bullied in his hometown had anything good to teach him, it was that he had to remain cool headed and ride out the storm. He wasn't at all as confident as he had been before, to tell the truth, he had been the most awkward, self conscious, insecure and bitter child. But the stern and loving hand his mother raised him by had forced him to look things with a more mature perspective, after he had gotten out of his awkward twelve year old stage. And the absence of a father figure and a male authority role in his household had made him to be the one to learn to take up the mantle and protect his mother. The both of them looked out for one another, and it was also her who encouraged him to enroll himself in the SOLDIER training.

The thought of his mother send waves of longing for her presence. There really wasn't a day that he didn't get by without missing her. But a sharp wave of pain from his bruise as he applied the ointment bought him back to his current thoughts—the bullies.

Cloud had taken some satisfaction at seeing how bewildered they seemed at his lack of response, and they weren't really used to it, seeing that the victims usually cower in fear and beg them for mercy when they did such things. But Cloud knew that people like them gain their sadistic joy and pleasure at the stake of other people's pain and fear, and he wasn't going to let them have it that easily. They had then left him alone for a brief period of time, unnerved by him, he supposed. And he had been so naïve to have thought that it would end at that, that they would take the cue that he wasn't to be intimidated and to leave him the hell alone. But no, the thick headed skull that they were innately blessed with wasn't enough to get the information through to their pea sized brain suspended in their empty skull. Cloud laughed a little at the image, his voice vibrating through the hollow and silent stalls of the bathroom.

They had came back, more ferocious, more violent, more displeased than before. And seeing that he did not respond to their usual threats and antics, they had decided to take out their frustration through the only means they found satisfactory. They resorted to violence, of course, the only thing their level of intelligence could think of. They would ambush him in secluded corners, deserted hallways, at the end of class where Cloud was the last to leave. And Cloud never did go down without a fight. He always lost, naturally, seeing that there were over twenty of them, all of them twice his size, and there was just so much evading and hitting one lone person could inflict before being overwhelmed by the rest of the harsh and ever coming blows. If he were lucky, his other classmates would notice his absence and they would alert the instructors, leaving him with only a bruise or two and a split lip. But if he were unlucky, he would end up half beaten to death. He had been in and out of the infirmary more times than he could keep count of, and the rest of his classmates shunned him as they too were afraid of the bunch of bullies. But at least they sometimes offered the occasional sneaked whispers of greetings or care towards him and they did their best to alert the instructors when they knew he was cornered. A few of them, mostly his roommates, helped him out with his homework and lent him notes when he hadn't been able to make it to classes due to injuries and since he couldn't really blamed their fear, he appreciated these small and unseen gestures of kindness and friendship.

But even though the bullying didn't really affect him, except that the outcome usually was a pain the ass, what bothered him the most was how bad his grades were affected. He is now barely able to keep up with his classes. His grades had been well in the beginning. He absorbed theory classes like a sponge and was eager to participate in physical training to hone his physique. The only session he hated was the morning drills where they had to do inhumanely massive amounts of workout. But still, he had been able to keep up. Now, his grades were dropping with a gradient steeper than the Nibelheim mountain cliffs and he is beginning to dread the outcome. He could still worm his way through all those theory classes with the notes and books that he had, but with his wounds, he was way behind in his physical training, and everyone knows that the most important thing in an excellent Soldier is being able to combat perfectly. And that, was something he was excruciating lacking at.

The bullying just seemed incessant, something the instructors had no power over of. Only President Shinra himself or the General Sephiroth had the authority to discharge a cadet, and before that, a case was to be brought up and a trial be held. But seeing that the head of his bullying gang—Malcolm McGavin was the son of a higher up Shinra executive, it was no wonder that no one dared to make a motion against them. President Shinra and General Sephiroth himself were two extremely high authoritative figures and Cloud would bet his money for a miracle to happen rather than have either one of them to be concerned over a lowly cadet. Even if they knew, Cloud doubt that the President would do anything, seeing that the only thing that he is concerned with are profits for the company. In fact, Cloud figured that bullying was a way for the company to root out weaklings and make their tasks easier of choosing new Soldiers. It would be no surprise that the President himself allowed such things himself with the objective of being able to choose only the best of the bunch.

As for General Sephiroth, Cloud wasn't sure exactly what he would do. The man was an enigma. It seemed that all the people worshipped and loved him as much as they shunned and feared him. There were so many legends surrounding the man himself that one couldn't really discern which is exaggerated and which is the truth. It had been said that the General himself had single handedly won the Wutai war for Shinra and that he was capable of amounts of magic welding with materia that no normal person was able to conjure. And then of course were rumors and scandals about the history of the General. Where he was from, how he came to be, and who were his parents…All that stuff shrouded another mystery on the General. And the man himself was magnificent. His silver hair and green eyes were all attributes to his already overly handsome features and were the swoons of many infatuated souls around the Earth. But despite the seemingly lack of information of the man, the one thing Cloud was certain is the amount of revered respect that all his subordinates and people seemed to have of him. They would willingly die for him, as could be seen from his mass of loyal troops and the way his instructors would all speak of the General in front of them—their eyes ablaze with admiration and loyalty, and pure respect lacing their tones and words. Cloud himself was a big fan of the General, but unlike those other fan boys which swooned and became loving-eyed when they saw a picture of the General, Cloud actually admired the man for his strength. The General was his idol in a weird sort of way, someone he looked up to and strived to become. It was one of the reasons he entered the training, he had the dream of one day standing beside General Sephiroth and fighting side by side with him.

Wincing again as another raw bruise was rubbed too hard, Cloud's eyes turned a deep blue and the colors swirled around in raging turmoil as sorrow and a faint hint of desperation crossed his face.

With his condition now, his dream is as good as gone.

Zack Fair made his way stealthily through the brightly lit Shinra corridors. Not that he really needed to escape attention, seeing that the worker uniform and cap he had on had all but erase the tell-tale signs of the spiky black hair and famed uniform of the General's left hand. God, how much would he pay for Sephiroth to see him now. The man had an odd quirk of pointing out Zack's flaws which mainly consists of how indiscreet he is as a Soldier First Class. In fact, Sephiroth always points out sarcastically that he was surprised Zack had managed to pull off his stealth assignments as successfully as he had with his constant outbursts and flashy attitude.

Zack would just scowl or pout, whichever deemed useful for the situation, and proceed to rant on about some random thing that he had heard or encountered. And although Sephiroth always put on an air of insufferable tolerance and patience while listening to his ranting, Zack was more than willing to bet that the General in fact enjoyed his company immensely. They were basically best friends, and even though Sephiroth hadn't yet admitted it, the unusually humane side of him which he showed Zack through his sarcastic remarks or sincere response was more than enough to ensure Zack of the fact.

Zack was of course, both honored and glad that he had that place in the man's heart, seeing how detached the General could be. Frowning slightly, Zack made another turn and looking around, realized he was in the SOLDIER Training barracks. Keeping his head down in case of some early cadet recognizing him and making a fuss about it, Zack prodded stealthily in the direction of the cafeteria.

It had been Angeal's idea for this plan, and Zack was only carrying it out. He was sure he wouldn't really be murdered after this stunt, seeing that Genesis had also a hand in it. But there was a big possibility the two generals would just act innocent as if they had nothing to do with the plotting along with Zack. Well, when it comes to that, Zack could always run and hide. He _was_ the fastest runner of his group after all. Humming happily after reassuring himself of his unlikely chance of demise, Zack pondered on about Sephiroth.

Really, the man might be a prodigy in all other things, but when it comes to human interaction and basic emotions, he was as informative as a stone, meaning that he knew absolutely nothing on the matter. It wasn't that the man had no emotions himself, no, Sephiroth was perfectly capable of normal emotions such as joy, grief, pain and anger, it is just that he had more control over himself and didn't let others see past his usual façade that had others finding him utterly emotionless. No, the General is capable of feelings, it's just not a well-known fact when one is made to be a ruthless killing machine and stern leader.

What Sephiroth really lacks, is communication skills. He was sometimes utterly insensitive and untactful in his remarks and behavior that people takes him as rude and inapproachable. But Zack knew that this is really a result from living a shunned life up until the moment. That's why Zack had been getting on with his private 'Make-Seph-More-Sociable' project, which had until now, provided more trouble than benefit for both Zack and Sephiroth. He was in fact seriously considering to call off the plan, but then Angeal had none too subtly dropped in remarks of 'how lonely Seph is' and all that crap and his heart had all but softened. But now, he had a new formed plan, that is, getting more friends for the General. The only friends Sephiroth had are him, Angeal and Genesis. Tseng is somewhat a mutual ally of sorts, and that's it, the General's small and pitiful social circle.

It had sounded so easy, but two months into the plan had proved Zack just how much of a disaster it had been. At first, he had tried looking for suitable candidates amongst the upper ranked SOLDIERS who were almost the same age as Sephiroth, but whenever he set them up for a meeting most of them will get all rigid and formal while the small minor will simply perform a convincing act of a gaping fish without even the basic skills of communication. He had then tried the normal working staffs in the office, a few secretaries and clerks and heads of department but again it was a total failure, more disastrous than the last attempt. He had to clean up and make excuses to Sephiroth as to why the people Zack brought in always managed to either faint, drop into fits, or convulse uncontrollably in front of him. So far, Zack had managed to use up every single disease and excuse which is thinkable, and since he wasn't that suicidal or desperate enough to start looking for worthy candidates amongst Sephiroth fans, he had decided to put a stall on his mission until he found the perfect candidate. So now, he was back to plotting unusual ways to annoy Sephiroth.

Genesis had wickedly dropped a hint to Zack that Sephiroth really detested the food in the SOLDIERS Training facility and Zack had all but made up his mind at the spot that he was going to dish some for Sephiroth. Seeing that he couldn't really waltz into the cafeteria during the morning—it would send waves of cadets into shock and excitement, so he decided to execute his plan in the early morning. He was certain nobody would be up at this ungodly hour, it was only four in the morning damn it! Not even he woke up this early usually, unless of course, he had evil plans to carry out. Besides, he had already managed to talk the trainees' instructors into giving them a sudden Physical test which involves lots of hand-to-hand combat, sword fighting and Materia casting which was sure to exhaust the cadets and thus ensuring him a safe route in the morning.

Zack was so relaxed by the unusual silence and too confident of him being the lone person awake in the whole Shinra building that he was startled out of his thoughts when he bumped into a smaller figure as he rounded the corner. It appeared that the person was in a hurry as he crashed into Zack with a strength which was strong enough to send him recoiling back from the impact. Zack was able to remain unmoved from his usual experience and by pure reflex, shot his hand out to catch the person.

Mentally berating himself for not noticing the cadet's presence, Zack pulled his cap lower down to hide his identity as he made sure the cadet was standing firmly before releasing him. The cadet was disoriented for a moment, before coming to his senses and giving a smile, grabbed Zack's hand and muttered a pleasant 'Thanks' before hurrying away again. It was obvious that Zack's disguise had worked since there was no flash of recognition through the blonde's face, but then again, he hadn't really looked at Zack that well. Zack stared at the back of the cadet as he hurried away, and took note of the unruly blonde hair and the flash of beautiful sea blue eyes as the cadet had stared at him for a moment while muttering his gratitude.

The blonde cadet was one of the most striking people that Zack had seen, and that was saying something about the good looks that he had, seeing that Zack had been around his fair share of handsome people. Unsure as to why, Zack's mind immediately flashed towards the image of Sephiroth. While the blonde hadn't been as manly and gorgeously sexy as Sephiroth, the boy was utterly indescribably beautiful in his own way. And somehow, Zack felt a strong pull towards the cadet. He was certain it wasn't because of the blonde's looks, but more of a mental and spiritual urge to look out for the blonde cadet. He wasn't really sure why, but he just felt that way. Maybe he could ask Aerith when he meet her again. She was half Cetra, one able to be in tune to the planet's lifestream and thoughts so maybe she might have some divine answer as to why he felt this way. He remembered that Aerith had mentioned something about destined people meeting and forming a strong and unbreakable bond but he didn't really understood it then.

Of course, Zack's keen eyes had also caught the small wince that the cadet had made when he had bumped into Zack, accompanied by the way he seemed to carry himself too rigidly as he walked away, as if trying to hide in something, and Zack couldn't help but wonder if the blonde was hurt. Feeling much like an over-protective older brother, Zack decided to do a check up on this cadet later.

Now back to the matter at hand, he wondered where did the kitchen workers kept their overnight gruel?

~End Chapter~

A/N: That's it, the first chapter! I didn't want Cloud to be angsty and bitter so I decided to take another approach to his personality… This chapter had been more of a foresight and a setting ground as to how Cloud is as a person and the story will develop now onwards, so forgive me if there is a lack of action in this chapter.

Please review!! It would really make my day and let me understand more about my readers~


	2. Chapter 2

**Title:** Sky Metamorphosis

**Pairing:** Sephiroth x Cloud

**A/N:** A new chapter! Thanks for all the reviews! I really do appreciation the thought and time you guys gave to write them~And it definitely propels me to write more! Thanks again~!

**Disclaimer:** Alas, still not mine…But I could still think of things to do to it if it were mine right??

Chapter Two

Sephiroth took a sip of his usual morning coffee as he leant back against the leather arm chair he currently occupied. Not even changing a face at the supposedly altogether bitter taste of his no sugar and extra thick blend of coffee, he merely set the cup down on its plate and continued to read through the report he was holding on. It was again filled with mindless rambles and littered grammar mistakes. The point the officer was trying to state was obviously not getting through after being buried by paragraphs after paragraphs of altogether meaningless writings.

At least the diagrams and charts are all done perfectly.

Flipping to the front of the file and scanning through the names who worked on this project, Sephiroth gave a small nod of satisfaction. Ah, so it was these people who prepared the charts…It was no wonder it was so perfectly done.

Setting down the file in his lap, Sephiroth resisted the urge to groan at the feeling of an impending migraine. He had been looking at these files since he woke up at five in the morning and he was now really considering of burning them in public if just to scorn the officers who wrote them. But since that wasn't at all acceptable and leader-like, he is stuck with enduring them for the rest of the day. Maybe he really should draft up a program to train the whole of Shinra Company in the ways of writing concisely, accurately and most of all—flawlessly and straight to the point. It would really save him hours of trying to go through heaps of paper just to understand what the point was. Deciding to take a break from all this paperwork, he stood up and stretched out his sore muscles. Taking a glance at the clock on the wall, he noted that Zack was once again late for work. Their normal working time was eight thirty in the morning and it was now already ten.

Zachary Fair, his second in command is among one of the most unorthodox people in his life, the other two being Angeal and Genesis. The three of them were probably the only people who do not treat him like a god and he is grateful for it, although he wouldn't really say it out loud.

A loud bang announced the entrance of the person in thought, and the accompanying loud whine of "Sephiroth!!!" was then heard. Sephiroth, who was again engrossed in the files, did not even bother to look up. He was more than used to Zack's antics; besides, he had already known that the man would come with his enhanced hearing. Zack always made more noise than necessary, and today Sephiroth was alerted of his arrival by the obnoxious humming he did in the hallway, which serves to prove that his second was in a good mood and that did not usually bode well for him.

Taking a small glimpse at the man out of the corner of his eye, Sephiroth decided that indeed, Zack looked far more excited and happy than usual. Turning his attention back to the papers, he decided to ignore the man. Yes, ignorance is bliss indeed.

Zack plopped himself unceremoniously on the chair in front of Sephiroth's desk and began babbling on about the recent gossip in the office. Sephiroth effectively tuned him out, focusing entirely on reading as fast as he could through all of the papers. He did, however, jolt back to reality when Zack began to prod him in the arm. Giving a small sigh, he closed the file and set it aside. He knew Zack could be relentless if he wanted to.

Seeing that he had Sephiroth's attention on him, Zack smiled brightly and bent down to take the object that he had put on the floor while Sephiroth wasn't looking. Blocked by the desk, Sephiroth couldn't see what it was. Carefully, Zack lifted it up gently and balancing it on one hand, pushed the documents to the side to make space as he set down the object. Sephiroth could only stare.

"Zack, what's this?" Sephiroth couldn't help the slight trace of threat that laced his tone.

Unperturbed, Zack merely smiled again before making an exaggerated gesture towards the clay pot which lay innocently enough in front of the world's most feared after general. Frowning slightly when Sephiroth remained to cast him a suspicious look, he sighed and stood up. Leaning forward, he took off the lid while pointing meaningfully to the spoon he had put down beside the pot.

"Come on Seph, eat up! I made it myself!" Sephiroth frowned slightly. He was supposed to eat this?

"What is it?"

Zack let out a desperate sigh. Standing straight, he glared down at his superior. "Sephiroth, I can't believe you refuse to eat my special homemade porridge! And to even sound suspicious about my good gesture just breaks my heart into pieces!"

At this, Sephiroth did feel a bit guilty about doubting the man. The porridge did look alright, despite being slightly brown in color; it was still warm and looks perfectly edible. But still…

"Why the sudden kindness though?" Sephiroth couldn't help but ask. There was just something fishy about the whole thing. Zack rolled his eyes in plain irritation, as if Sephiroth had just asked the most stupid question.

"Well, seeing that your breakfast usually just consists of a cup of horribly brewed coffee, I thought it would be nice if you could eat something else for once. Come on, just one small mouth would be enough now." Zack cajoled gently, almost eagerly.

"Hmm, I suppose so." Finally relenting, Sephiroth took up the spoon and scooping up a rather generous of porridge, lowered down his head to eat it. By doing so, he failed to see the evil look that crossed Zack's face in that short moment, and when he was chewing on the porridge and looking back up at Zack, his second had already schooled his face back into a look of polite interest.

"So, how was it?"

Sephiroth ate slowly, not really sure what to say. Surely Zack's skills can't be that bad, he had eaten the fried noodles that Zack cooked once for Angeal, and it was fairly delicious. However, this particular attempt of his seemed to have failed spectacularly, seeing that the porridge was more like a puddle of goo with absolutely no admirable quality to it. The only taste which it seemed to have was one of charred food, which Sephiroth assumed was where the brown color came from. And there were bits and lumps of indistinguishable ingredients in it where some have the texture of sponge while others were crunchy and plain weird. Trying hard to maintain a neutral expression at this absolutely disgusting mouthful of food and raking through his brain to try and give Zack a rather vague response, Sephiroth's efforts were cut short when he bit on something extremely hard.

Zack, who was trying his best not to laugh at seeing the normally stoic man looking thoughtful and troubled while munching his food, could not help but let out his loud laughter when he saw Sephiroth's face turn abruptly to being absolutely appalled and then, with those slender fingers, tugged a piece of tissue and spat out what seemed to look like a piece of rock on it.

Sephiroth turned those piercing green eyes of his onto Zack. The silver haired general immediately noticed the amusement and wicked gleam revealed in Zack's eyes. Setting down the spoon in an almost threatening manner and pushing away the bowl, he leaned back towards his chair and crossed his arms.

"So, I take that this isn't your homemade porridge is it?" Oh, if Zack was a lesser man, he would have died at the stifling tone which the General used. But instead, he kept on laughing, clutching at his sides at the verge of being short of breath.

"So—Sorry Seph, I just couldn't help but tease you. You should have seen your face! Oh Gaia!" And then Zack was back to laughing again.

"It was intended as a joke then?" Zack could only nod, his eyes already watering slightly from his laughter.

"Then, what is it exactly?" In the midst of his laughter, Zack missed the barely concealed and dangerous edge in Sephiroth's tone.

Choking slightly as Zack tried to calm himself, he put on his most neutral and guileless look.

"Er…Overnight gruel from the barrack's cafeteria perhaps, mixed with a dash of pepper and salt?"

It was only Zack's trained instincts as a SOLDIER and the mako enhanced senses which allowed him to evade the long sword which sliced towards his side. Sephiroth was now standing; Masamune unsheathed and yield in his hand. When the man had grabbed it Zack had no idea, but he sure as hell wasn't going to stick around to find out what the man could do to him with it.

Letting out a strangled "Bye!", Zack immediately sped out of the office as fast as he could, hoping that Sephiroth would not pursue him. However, his hopes were cut short when he heard an enraged "Zachary Fair! Where the hell do you think you're going?!", and looking back, found that Sephiroth was exiting his office and marching in a murderous aura surrounding him.

Not even daring to slow down, Zack increased his pace. He really did hope his status as the fastest runner won't fail him.

Oh shit, why did he listen to Genesis and Angeal in the first place?

* * *

Cloud panted, his breaths coming out in short gasps. Keeping his eyes trained on the floor, he struggled to continue with the pushups they were ordered to do. Two hundred shouldn't have been a problem for him, he knew his body well enough to know it was fit to accomplish that, but the bruises he had were making it painstakingly difficult for him. And he had to struggle to not let out any signs of pain as that would only serve to please his abusers immensely. He could feel McGavin's eyes on him, and he wasn't going to let the guy see his weak side.

Finally finishing it, he stood up slowly, careful to not put any extra strain around his abdomen. Taking a glance around the wide area of cemented floor outside the buildings that they were currently training at, Cloud took a moment to enjoy the soft breeze. It seemed like a good day, with clear blue skies and a soft, warm breeze coursing through it. And Cloud did hope that he would have the leisure of a relaxed day, although that seemed impossible enough. Turning back towards the other trainees, he found that most of them had already finished and were milling about, chatting. There were a few that were still on the floor doing pushups, their body far more weaker than Cloud's, and he was once again thankful that he wasn't the last one to finish and for the harsh Nibelheim conditions which helped to honed his body.

Noticing that McGavin was still looking at him, Cloud gave an unnoticeable sigh. Turning away, he took up the small towel from his bag and began to wipe away the sweat around his face and neck. He really didn't understand why McGavin hated him so much. At first it was okay, he had even sat beside the man a few times during class, and had exchanged polite greetings. But then the bullying had started suddenly and Cloud was more than shocked to see that it had been McGavin who was the one behind it all. He had racked through his brain a few times, trying to figure just when he had managed to upset the man, but he came up with nothing. It also took this experience to teach him that people aren't always what they seemed. McGavin looked like a positively nice fellow when you looked at him. He was quite tall, around 185 centimeters, and had short spiky black hair and deep brown eyes. He had a very good natured face, among one of the reasons Cloud thought he might be friendly, and a toothy albeit warm smile with white teeth showing when he did grin. But Cloud had seen another sight to the man, a deeper, more insane side. McGavin's face was filled with anger which twisted up those features of his into one akin to a ferocious beast, and his mouth was always scowling or smirking superiorly and mockingly down at him. As if he had to prove that he was far better than Cloud, and to distinguish himself from Cloud.

Cloud just didn't understand how such a drastic change could come over one person and he supposed that was because he just didn't understand the man in the first place. McGavin could already be so violent, just that he hadn't known him well enough. And for the main reason, Cloud was certain that most bullying didn't have a sound reason to back it up, but if he had to make a guess, it would be his looks or jealousy. There was just no other reason possible.

Throwing down the towel and stretching his arms across his head, Cloud decided to just stop trying to find a sound excuse behind all this crap. It was a weak spot of his, he always had to find excuses for other people, his mother had said that he was the most forgiving person that she had known, and had then gently teased him about being too soft. It was a fond moment, and Cloud wished that he could see her.

His thoughts were interrupted when the instructor, Lieutenant Rockwell, a tall and burly man with a personality to match up his looks, blew sharply on his whistle and barked for the cadets to fall in line. Out of habit, all of the cadets scrambled and rushed immediately to their respective positions. Silence fell over the whole court.

Taking a stern look over the lines of cadets, Lt. Rockwell gave a satisfied nod. Cloud discreetly let out the breath he had been holding in. The man was not at all pleasant to be around if offended. They had to find out the hard way after being punished to run on the tracks from midnight till morning on one occasion. Since then they had been on their most respectable behavior when they had Lt. Rockwell as their instructor.

After a string of strict commands and usual scolding as well as a dash of advice and threat thrown in, Lt. Rockwell let them off to clean themselves as well as to prepare themselves for their following more academic classes. Cloud made his way to his bag, secretly thanking that there was no training lessons scheduled for the day. He wasn't sure his body would be able to handle it, not after the vigorous morning exercises they had just done. He had gotten used to the dull pain that the bruises gave him by now, and had more or less learnt to adapt his movements to not aggravate his wounds more.

Despite the strenuous affair of cleaning himself up with the least bit of movements, Cloud found himself in a slightly sunnier disposition after the bath. McGavin and his gang hadn't done anything to him yet, and that by itself, was something worth cheering over. Perhaps the day would turn out to be nicer than he thought. They had Battle History and Tactics up as the next class, and then Materia Training later, both which were liked by Cloud. Although the latter class would turn to be slightly exhausting, as it required an insane amount of attention and inner energy to conjure up something, Cloud loved all of it, as being born in Nibelheim had him turning out to be quite an avid fan of nature and the feeling of materia in Cloud's hand with all the raw natural energy swirling in it was very exhilarating.

With a small smile, he picked up his bag pack and made his way down the halls to the lecture halls where the theory classes were held.

It might turn out to be a day as peaceful as he had hoped for.

* * * * * * * * * *

Zack swerved round a sharp corner, his boots sliding and scraping slightly on the polished and smooth marble floor. With a small huff, he took a fleeting glance backwards before picking up his momentum and dashing down the corridor and taking another dangerous and sharp turn at the next corner.

His spiky, jet black hair was sticking around his forehead and at the sides of his cheeks by now, a result of the strenuous running he had been doing for the last hour. He swore that Sephiroth was really as much of a devil as anyone claimed him to be. The last that he had looked behind to check out the man, which was about forty so minutes into the chase, the general had looked as composed as ever, not even a single breath out of place and there was no signs of any sweating or lack of breath. Which were all of the conditions that Zack found himself to be in after running at top speed for forty minutes.

Zack swore. He wasn't tired, no, not at all, seeing that Soldiers were very harshly trained and they had Mako injections to boost their stamina, but at least he was showing some signs of normal human sweating, Sephiroth was just inhuman, Zack concluded. So, Zack knew that he had to get away fast, because if it was stamina and speed, Sephiroth far surpassed him. However, there was a slight benefit for Zack. Due to his constant trouble making and friendly self, he had a better knowledge of the Shinra building and all the confusing hallways inside it. He also knew every nook and corner of a good hiding place and every possible route of swift escape means.

Turning yet another corner and swinging open a side door which led to a flight of hidden staircases, Zack dare not pause to look back and swiftly made his way down the steps. God, he swore that he was going to get Angeal and Genesis back for this. Maybe those cross dressing pictures he had took of them when they were drunk during last year's Halloween party. Hmm…He wonder what would happen if the pictures 'accidentally' fell into their fan club's hands.

Without faltering in pace, an absolutely evil and mischievous grin made its way onto Zack's face.

This could be useful leverage. Maybe he could convince Sephiroth to help him. Surely the silver haired general would want to get back at his two comrades for _coercing_ Zack to do what he did?

The smile grew impossibly wide.

After what seemed to be eternity, but was only actually a few minutes, Zack had made his way to the second floor and he leaned against the windowed wall, wiping away the sweat from his forehead. His breathing was exceptionally regular, but that wasn't exactly out of place, even though normal people would have probably died from exertion with a two hour run at the pace he was in. Fully utilizing his enhanced hearing, Zack relaxed visibly when he made sure that there was no sounds of footsteps echoing down the staircase.

It seemed that he had finally been able to throw off Sephiroth.

With a huge, albeit relieved sigh, Zack stretched languidly and took a casual glance outside the window. He hadn't notice it before, but it was raining. It wasn't exactly a heavy rain, and he could still make out the scenery outside the building. The sky was a deep gloomy grey and deep blue, and there was no sign of the sun whatsoever.

A glimpse of gold caught Zack's attention.

Leaning on the window railing, Zack squinted, his sharp vision taking in the lone figure which seemed to be striding, almost running, hurriedly across the bare court. Eyes widening, Zack recognized the person as the cadet he had ran into in the morning. Taking out a watch from his pocket, Zack found the time to be near one in the afternoon.

That's weird. Cadets are supposed to be having their lessons at this time, after their normal lunch break. Looking back at the mop of golden hair, which was easily spotted in the sea of blurry grey, Zack caught the action of a rushed swipe of the hand at the forehead, and almost missed the small blotch of red on the hands before the rain washed it away.

A surge of confusion and worry coursed through Zack's veins. He peered through the window more intently, trying to make out if it was really as what he had seen, but the blonde's hand was just a hazy blur from the location he was in.

Taking a small breath, Zack wondered if he had seen wrongly. But even as the thought entered his head, Zack knew, in the instant, that no, his eyes hadn't failed him, it really was what he had seen.

The cadet was bleeding.

Without any second thought, Zack was sprinting down the stairs again, a strong pulse of anxiety gripping at his heart, a feeling that he wasn't quite sure why he had. But the sight of the blonde just stirred something innate and protective in him, a strong familial emotion that he couldn't quite ignore, and Zack was one who was famed for following his instinct, and now it was telling him to get to the blonde quickly.

It was painfully obvious that the blonde was in great pain, now that he thought about it. His keen mind going through the scene that he had seen just now, even in his state of worry, Zack's mind was insanely clear. He realized the faint limping with the stride, the awkward posture of the body, and the occasional clench of the right arm that the cadet had displayed. Feeling even more anxious, Zack quickened his pace, rushing through doors and hallways to make it to the opening leading to the training court.

Oh Gaia! Zack prayed in his heart. He hoped that the blonde cadet would be able to hold on until he got there.

~End Chapter~

A/N: Second chapter! Sorry for the wait…Thank you for all the lovely reviews and hits on this story~!! It is really a great boost up of energy to keep me writing. Finally, our beloved general makes his appearance in the chapter. It is kind of short, but I hoped you guys will like it~! Cloud won't be meeting Sephiroth that soon, seeing it would be very, very improbable for a General to bump into a Cadet in the massive Shinra building. So the story will progress with Cloud knowing Zack, and Sephiroth having to hear all the stories about this mysterious blonde cadet…But their meeting will be worth looking forward to, and maybe in the near future~_

Again, thank you for reading and please review!! =)


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Sky Metamorphosis

Pairing: Sephiroth x Cloud

Disclaimer: Alas, not mine…*sighs wistfully*

Chapter 3

Cloud shivered, his body trembling as the coldness of the surroundings seeped through his drenched clothes, and the rain was unrelenting, hammering his body with continuing pelts of water. Wrapping his arms around his torso, Cloud tried without success to warm himself, but the gesture did provide a small amount of comfort.

He was now sitting behind a large storage room which was by the side of the Shinra building and situated at the far corner of the training field, partially hidden from view by the building. Cloud leaned heavily against the concrete wall, feeling the rough surface against his clothes. Sighing, he laid his head back and let the rain washed over his features. Clutching his aching side, he whimpered softly.

Really, he shouldn't have rushed out of the training hall like that. It was obvious that he was running away from it all, and Cloud was ashamed of this fact. He should have been tougher, should have handled the situation better than how he had acted. He thudded his head gently against the wall, berating himself. But the action just caused him to feel nauseous and he was vividly reminded of the large gash on his forehead.

He had almost forgotten about it, the rain was washing away the blood and the coldness numbing the pain. But as he brought his hand up to touch it, the slight searing heat prickled his fingers and he felt a sharp stab of pain. Wincing, he let his arm limply fall down by his side. He was just too exhausted to give a damn anymore. He had this strangest urge to cry, and the emotion was pooling in his stomach, making him extremely uncomfortable, but with each choked swallow of his saliva, he managed to keep it down, but it disturbed him nonetheless, the aching feeling of repressed fury, shame and sorrow gnawing away at his conscience.

Cloud shifted his body into a more comfortable position while ignoring the pain throughout his body from the old and new wounds and bruises, gritting his teeth in determination while he did so. After managing this strenuous feat, he sighed again, his youthful, soft and gentle voice sounding awkwardly heavy and coarse, which did not suit him at all.

Trying hard to stay awake even with the cold and pain seeping through his body, Cloud let his mind wander. He wondered if this was really the end for him. As much as he wanted to, he just couldn't seem to find the sheer will to carry on to achieving his dreams as SOLDIER anymore. It just felt like the whole world was against him, and whenever things started to look better, his hopes and spirits will be squashed down into nothingness. And after so many times, he felt that the whole thing was pointless. So what if it was his dream? He couldn't reach it, no matter how hard he tried.

Squeezing his eyes shut and more resolved than ever to keep himself from crying, Cloud clenched and unclenched his fists to keep his emotions in check. The gesture itself was lacking in strength, and Cloud wondered if this was the end. He had no will to carry himself to the infirmary, and as a trainee he had not the ability to cure himself. Even with his bandages, Cloud knew that he had simply lost too much blood and nothing could be done. His mind fleeted to memories of his mother, he could dazedly conjure up fuzzy images of her gentle smile and the soft touch of her hand while she ruffled through his unruly hair, the consolation that she always gave when Cloud was feeling particularly down.

Clear blue eyes fluttered open for a moment, and there was a faraway look on them. Cloud struggled to keep his eyes open, as they kept closing down, and did his best to maintain conscious. But he knew it was a losing battle.

Just as he was about to slip into blackness, he heard the sound of rushed footsteps running towards him, and could hear a muffled voice. But everything was unfocused and hazy, and he gave a final, heartbreakingly sad smile as he let his body slipped from the wall and onto the floor.

Cloud had been anticipating the pain which would come from the impact, but surprisingly, it never came. Everything else faded into inky blackness and became a blank emptiness after that.

* * *

Zack paced outside the closed doors of the emergency room, anxiously waiting for the doctor to come out.

It had been nearly half an hour now, and Zack was getting pretty frustrated.

He remembered vividly how fragile and lifeless the cadet had seemed, his whole body limp and his breath shallow. There had been a brief moment that he thought Cloud had died; the cadet seemed to have stopped breathing. A further check confirmed that he was still very much alive, although his heartbeat was getting gradually slower.

Zack had then rushed his way to the main infirmary. Although Cloud was still a cadet, Zack didn't find himself trusting of the other factions of infirmary for the lower level Shinra employees. The main infirmary had the best doctors and nurses as well as complete medical instruments and chemicals. It is mainly used to treat SOLDIERs and higher ranking executives as well as Turks.

He had then called in a favor from the human resource department and obtained Cloud's personal file, which was where he learnt of the cadet's name, Cloud Strife. Skimming through the documents, Zack had swiftly memorized Cloud's basic information and then proceeded to read through Cloud's performance evaluation reports.

He was at first impressed at Cloud's remarkable abilities in physical tests as while as his high test score from the theory classes, but his brows soon became furrowed as he noticed Cloud's abrupt drop in performance. It seemed as if Cloud had suddenly lost all his previous standards and the grades took a turn for the worst. A rushed flip through the documents showed Zack that this had started since Cloud had first gotten himself into the infirmary a few months after his admittance in the training program. Even more puzzling was how often Cloud had gotten himself into the infirmary after that. And the injuries were also quite heavy—bruises, cuts, gashes, internal bleeding, fractured bones…Zack found himself more concerned as he read on. The extent of these injuries didn't seem to be inflicted by accidents in training. It was too frequent and Cloud had to be very, very unlucky to get even half of the injuries that were recorded through a mere training.

He knew for a fact that their trainers and lecturers are all capable commanders or sergeants which were elected from the best of the bunch. It would be very unprofessional of them if Cloud could obtain such injuries under their watch. Zack's displeasure had then deepened when he realized that the documents had failed to provide a sufficient and rational explanation for these incidents. In fact, there were almost no notes on what had happened to cause such injuries, just records of Cloud's visits to the infirmary was included.

Zack's thoughts were disrupted as the door swung open. The assigned doctor had on a rather grim expression. Zack felt his heart drop.

"Soldier First Class, Lieutenant Zachary Fair." The doctor addressed him. Zack nodded, and anxiously, he said, "Doc, how's the cadet that I brought in? Is he alright?"

The doctor regarded him for a moment and with a small sigh, brought up the clip board on his hand and started to read through the medical report. "His condition is stable now, but I'm afraid his injuries are rather grave. There are a few deep cuts on his body and bruises, both new and old ones. We also found out through X-Ray that there are a few barely healed bones on his ribs and a nasty gash on his forehead. The gash seemed to have been caused by a low level Fire Materia. But due to his fever and weakened state of body, he seemed to be unable to fight off the damage done by the magic, and the gash doesn't seem to be closing up nicely, even with the stitches. And of course he has severe blood loss."

Zack could barely believe what he heard. Gaia! Even if he were to go out in war he wouldn't get hurt so badly! He must have showed his shock and disbelief on his face as the doctor put on a sympathetic and equally pained look.

"Lieutenant Fair, I don't know what the boy had done to get these injuries, but I am as shock as you are to see them. And there are traces of scars where it showed that he seemed to have been hurt badly before. And not just one time too." The doctor's face became grave and serious. "Just what happened exactly that such severe damage was brought upon this young cadet?"

Zack shook his head sadly, his lips thinning into a grim line. "I don't know. When I found him he was already like this. Damn it! If only I had reached him faster!"

The doctor gave him a comforting pat on his shoulder. "It's not your fault. His injuries had been obtained for quite some time now, hence the severe blood loss. If you hadn't found him, he would have been dead by now."

Zack nodded. "So, what now?"

"We have given him the medication he needs but for him to recover fully, he has to rest for about two weeks. And even then he can only perform the basic activities, nothing too strenuous. For him to continue his training, he will need at least a month of rest." The doctor frowned slightly.

Zack understood the look. Cadets are technically on a strict regime and if Cloud had to miss a month of training, Shinra won't wait for his recovery at all. He would be expelled and kicked out of SOLDIER training before the week was over. Cadets were just deemed not worth the attention and time.

Displeasure bubbled in the pit of Zack's stomach, and in that brief moment, Zack had decided that he would do whatever it takes to keep the boy from getting kicked out. With a determined glint in his eye, he gave the doctor a firm nod. "Don't worry, I will try my best help him. And I am sure as hell going to find out what happened to him."

"That's good to hear. I think he can be released after a week but after that, he is going to need to come back regularly for medical checks."

Zack nodded in understanding. Giving the doctor his thanks, he made his way to the room which Cloud had been moved to. The boy was sleeping, his unruly golden hair falling all over his face and around his pillow. He had on a weary, but calm expression on his face. The sight however, was marred by the large patch of bandage which was covering the left side of Cloud's forehead. The white gauze bandage was stained with the redness of blood, a sign that the wound hadn't closed up yet. Pushing a stray strand of hair from Cloud's forehead, Zack pulled up a chair and sat beside the unconscious cadet.

He took his time to observe the boy. Cloud seemed so young, his features soft and delicate, and yet Zack had a feeling that the blonde had a strong heart and spirit. But for now, the strength seemed to be gone and Zack felt a certain vulnerability and hopelessness emanating from Cloud. Zack was a very empathetic and emotional guy by nature, and it pains his heart to see what had happened to Cloud. Somehow, Cloud reminded Zack of when he was a mere cadet, and his heart felt for the guy.

It was a strange feeling indeed, a strong protective instinct, maybe it was because Cloud reminded Zack of his youthful self, and that's why he felt the urge to help this cadet who was a complete stranger to him just the day before. Zack sighed and slouched in his chair.

Feelings aside, what could he possibly do to help Cloud through this crisis? He could ask Sephiroth to pull some strings for him, but that would be quite an abuse of power. And it would seem as if Cloud had special privileges. No, it would need to be something discreet and completely allowable.

His mind racked through a few possible solutions, but none was good enough. Maybe he should ask Sephiroth, Genesis and Angeal to help think of something. But he doubt they could come up with something good, Spehiroth was normally too busy, while Genesis and Angeal may refuse to help him, they sometimes deemed his sentimental side a big waste of time.

What to do? What to do? Zack mused worriedly.

With a sudden jolt, Zack straightened himself on the chair. He had just thought of an absolutely brilliant idea. Why hadn't he thought of this sooner? He silently berated himself. But would it really work though? It would take one hell of a commitment and Cloud was truthfully, just a stranger to him.

But even as doubt entered his mind, he squashed away the thought. Zachary Fair! He scolded himself sternly. Are you a coward to be so selfish on such a crucial moment?!

He took a look at Cloud's face and immediately decided upon it.

This will do. It's a brilliant plan.

It just _had_ to work. For the Cloud's sake.

* * *

Sephiroth was hoping that the day will end soon. The day had dragged on and on, and it was even more boring than usual, with an extra load of paperwork and even more meetings to attend. He was actually pretty glad this was the last meeting in the day. Seated in a plush leather chair, Sephiroth had settled himself nicely at the head of the mahogany wood table where a few other Shinra executives were seated. Some bald, old man from the Archives Department was droning on about some other mundane thing which Sephiroth had no interest in.

He wondered what he was doing here. It seemed completely irrelevant for him, the General of SOLDIERs to attend such a simple staff meeting. He should have better things to do, and as much as he loved the current peaceful state of events, his whole being was aching for a decent workout. It had been a few days since he had trained properly with Masamune, and it won't do for his skills to get rusty.

For the umpteenth time that day, Sephiroth found himself cursing President Shinra. Really, the man was a pain. He was always asked to attend meetings with some excuse that it was more or less related to military and that he had obligations to be there.

Sighing softly, Sephiroth was glad that this might be the last of such mundane meetings for him. With some help from Tseng, the head of the Turks who was equally as bored by the multitude of such meetings, they had manage to pull in Rufus Shinra to help them convince the president to allow other people to be appointed as liaisons between departments. They, the recognized leaders, would be excluded and other people would be allowed to take up their spot. However, they still had to attend meetings with the President himself and also be present during board meetings. But at least they won't be required to attend every minor and insignificant discussion anymore. It was truthfully, a huge waste of time.

Concluding the meeting swiftly with a few stern remarks and decisions, Sephiroth immediately stood up and left the room, not sparing a single glance to the occupants of the room. He had seen enough of them over the past two hours, thank you very much. Making his way swiftly through the cubicles, he ignored the glances and gapes, mind fully set on the elevator. Swiping his card at one of the five elevators lined up against the wall, Sephiroth stepped inside in one graceful motion, and pressed the button for his floor.

Private elevators—one of the quirks of being the General, which allows him to escape the crowds and has a certain touch of privilege which Sephiroth quite enjoyed. The elevator was inserted with a specified card reader which allows only the top few, and most prestigious people in the Shinra Company to access it. Sephiroth was one of them, along with the president and his son, Rufus, and also Genesis, Angeal, Zack, Tseng and a few other executives and the head of Research Department, Professor Hojo.

Sephiroth's face darkened at the thought of the man, and pushed away the thoughts concerning him.

Stepping out of the elevator, Sephiroth was more than pleased to find himself in front of the door leading to his quarters. This was his side of the floor, a spacious apartment at the top part of the Shinra's main building. The other side was where Genesis and Angeal lived, and Zack had his own smaller apartment a couple of floors down from them, due to the difference in their ranking. Due to their closeness, they had full access to each other's rooms, which proved to be highly convenient in certain times.

Keying in the password, a loud click announced the unlocking of the door, and turning the doorknob, Sephiroth walked into his apartment, and let the door swing back and close with an audible click.

He wasn't even the least bit bothered by the sight of the three men occupying his couch in the living room. It had happened so many times that he was completely numbed by it. Taking off his coat and draping it across one of the unoccupied armchairs, he gave them a nod before disappearing into the kitchen.

Filling a glass of water, Sephiroth listened in to their conversation; it seemed to be a heated discussion of some sort with Zack's voice rising indignantly a few times. Maybe Zack had one of those crazy ideas again.

Making his way back to the living room and plopping with a rather undignified, albeit still graceful manner on the chair, Sephiroth took a sip of the water.

Genesis raised his brow. "Rough day?"

Sephiroth glared. "What do you think? I'm just glad that I won't have to attend any more boring meetings starting tomorrow."

Angeal gave him a look of sympathy, then reached over and slap him gently at the back. "Well, that's good isn't it? Now, since your problem is solved, why don't you help the little pup over here with his?" He cocked his head over to where Zack sat at his opposite.

Zack screeched indignantly. "I am not a little pup!"

Sephiroth turned to the man. "Zack, what trouble have you got yourself in this time?"

Zack whined, "Why is it that you guys always assume that I have done something wrong every time?" At the similar accusatory looks thrown his way by the three, Zack waved his hand in dismissal. "Okay, maybe a few times it was my fault, but honestly Seph, I am not the trouble this time! In fact, I am trying to help someone out of trouble!"

Sephiroth raised a disbelieving brow, while Angeal and Genesis chuckled at his look. Zack looked positively offended.

"Okay, look, won't the three of you just hear me out before going on making wild accusations?" Zack looked pointedly at them, and the three of them nodded in acquiescent.

"Well, see, it's like this. I met this cadet this morning when I was making my way to execute the plan of getting Sephiroth here some nice, Shinra custom made gruel, and of course, everyone knew the best place to get the most disgusting batch of gruel were from the training barracks cafeteria. All of you must have remembered how absolutely gross those things were! You know, there was once that I found myself—"

"Zack!" Sephiroth snapped impatiently.

"Get to the point pup," Angeal chastised. Genesis only nodded in full agreement.

Zack scowled. "Right, like I was saying, I bumped into this cadet, Cloud Strife is his name, and the guy didn't notice me for who I was at all. But anyway, that was our first meeting. And then, a bit later during the morning, when I had just managed to escape from Sephiroth's wrath," Zack paused, looking a bit fearfully at the silver haired general, and said apologetically, "Ah, Seph, I'm really sorry for this morning's incident."

Sephiroth gave him an icy glare, while Zack quickly continued on, glad that the man wasn't pulling out Masamune.

"Well, I was catching a breath by the window when I saw him again, outside in the rain, hurrying through the training compound, and I realized that he was hurt. Long story short, I found him and brought him to the main infirmary, and after the doctor's check, it appears that the boy had to take at least two weeks to recover fully, and near a month to be able to train."

Genesis said nonchalantly, "And this matters to you and us how?"

Zack waved his hand impatiently, "Listen on would you! Well, as you guys know, cadets aren't allowed more than a week's rest, and this leaves Cloud with only two options, either ignore his wounds and continue into training, which might prove fatal to him; or be removed from the training program, and with the way I see it, none of the two are good choices."

Angeal nodded, a trace of sympathy on his face, while Sephiroth and Genesis remained expressionless.

Angeal said cautiously, "Hey, you _do_ know that we can't really help out the cadet, as unfortunate as he might be, it would be an abuse of power."

Zack rolled his eyes. "I'm not going to ask you three to pull favors. I do have some sense you know." Ignoring the skeptic look on their faces, Zack finally said what was on his mind, "Well, I am thinking of taking Cloud as my protégé."

A brief silence, and then Angeal and Genesis burst out in laughter. Even Sephiroth looked slightly amused.

"What! Don't you think that it's a brilliant idea? Look, as a protégé of a first class SOLDIER, Cloud will not be admissible to the normal military laws for cadets. And only I will have the power to dismiss him from the training. Besides, this is all allowed as part of a grand scheme by Shinra to cultivate more talents."  
Genesis commented amidst of his laughter, his voice coming out a bit short of breath. "Zack! That's not really the problem here is it?"

Zack looked utterly confused. "Then what is the problem? And would you guys stop laughing!"

Angeal coughed; face red from amusement, while trying to contain his laughter. And while Angeal had the decency to look apologetic, Genesis gave him a wicked grin.

"Zack, the problem is, do you really think you could handle a protégé? It is a very big responsibility, and you have to be a very good teacher too." Although Sephiroth's voice was casual, there was the tell tale signs of an irrepressible smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

Zack narrowed his eyes. "What? I would have you know that I am perfectly capable of mentoring, and I do understand the seriousness and responsibility needed. Please, I know that I can do this, and it's also the only way to help Cloud out."

"Okay, let's say that you could do it, but this boy, this cadet, what's his name again?" Angeal asked.

"Cloud Strife." Genesis happily supplied.

"Right, this boy, Cloud, you said it yourself, you just met him this morning, and he's a complete stranger to you! Don't you think it's a bit too much to take such a rash decision? You don't even know the boy!"

Genesis nodded. "He's right, for all we know he might be some crazy little person."

Zack opened his mouth to retort but was silenced by Sephiroth. "Zack, as much as I understand your need to help, it's not really rational to take such resort. Would it really be worth it for a complete stranger?"

"Of course it would!" Zack sighed, struggling with his thoughts for a moment. With a calmer voice, he explained. "Look. I know it sounds like I am doing this because I feel pity towards the boy, but I am really not. There is just something about him, I don't know, but he gives me a strange feeling. I can't help but feel protective, as crazy as it sounds, he may be a complete stranger, but I felt like he was my baby brother, although I never had one, and I want to help him. I really do."

Three pairs of eyes looked at him with uncertainty.

"It just feels right you know, to help him. To want to care for him, to protect him, I can't explain clearly, but it's a very strange and awkward feeling. Please?" Zack put on his best puppy eyes.

Genesis snorted. "Zack! Do you have a crush on this cadet?!"

Zack's eyes widened remarkably in shock. "What?! No! Of course not! God! Genesis, what were you thinking? I just feel an odd familial tie towards the boy alright! Gaia, I like Aerith, for goodness sake!"

Genesis waved his hand to placate Zack. "Well, how was I supposed to know? It sounded oddly like a 'love at first sight' kind of scenario."

"You are really reading way too much sappy romance novel recently." Zack commented dryly.

"Okay, now that we have ascertained that you aren't doing this out of love, but rather an odd sense of crazed, haywire motherly instinct." Angeal said matter of factly.

"What the hell? I will have you know that if it is to be judged, I would rather call it 'brotherly', I am not a woman for goodness sake!"

"Well, you do act like a mother hen over this unfamiliar cadet though." Angeal retorted.

Zack bristled in annoyance.

Sephiroth nursed his temple to ease his rising headache, feeling that a bickering would start soon and stepped in just quickly enough to intervene. "Listen, all reasons aside, Zack, is this cadet worth the privilege you are giving him? It would be useless if he is not in the least bit SOLDIER material."

Angeal and Genesis quickly regained their composure and looked at Zack seriously and sternly. They weren't the famed commanders for nothing, and are adept to changing instantly.

Zack schooled his features, knowing that the questioned was not to be taken lightly.

"Yes. I can say with fair judgment that Cloud does seem to have the talent. I took a chance to look at his performance evaluation report."

"And?" Sephiroth asked.

Zack frowned at this. "It's weird. At the beginning, he did remarkable at everything, and was one of the few that the lecturers had noted and predicted as among those who would be successful. But suddenly, his performance dropped, especially at the more physical skills. His theory marks were still alright, but he seemed far behind in his other physical trainings."

Angeal pursed his lips in thought. "So, he wasn't as good as expected then?"

Zack shook his head wistfully. "I don't think that was the case though." He paused, but at the inquiring glances from all of them, continued on. "Well, I read through his file, and realized that this change happened after the first time he was admitted to the infirmary."

"So, he couldn't take the pressure then?" Genesis mused.

Zack shook his head again. "No, I don't believe so. Since then, he had been in and out of the infirmary, and even more puzzling was how there was absolutely no paperwork to explain the cause of his admittance. And you guys should really see his medical reports—"

There on, Zack told them everything of what he had learnt, and also described in full details the evaluation given by the doctor before that.

When he finished, the three of them had on similar shock and puzzled looks.

"You're telling me, that this cadet of barely sixteen years old had such an extent of injuries?" Genesis muttered with his voice low and disbelieving.

Zack nodded. "And that there was really no explanation for this all?" Angeal asked, his usual stern face showing just the slightest trace of worry.

"Yes." Zack replied.

"God! How can that possibly happen? I have never heard that training could do such damage to a cadet before!" Genesis exclaimed.

"That's because there wasn't supposed to be such injuries done to the cadets. The training was planned in such a way that even the gravest wound would probably be something really minor, like cuts, bruises and an odd sprain or two of the joints. Also, the instructors know that they have the responsibility to keep a cadet from getting harmed too much, since they are supposed to be servicing the military in the future." Sephiroth explained. His voice sound slightly agitated.

There was a moment of silence between them, which Sephiroth broke by saying, "And you said that there were unhealed injuries? Broken bones?"

Zack nodded again, his face flushing slightly from anger at the memory of the lifeless blonde. "Yeah," his voice came out in a growl, "he was really battered up. I thought he was going to die when I found him, you know."

And then, firmly, he announced, with a determined look on his face. "I am going to take him as my protégé; whether or not I get you three's approval won't stop me." SOLDIERs needed confirmed permission from all three of the General and his two commanders if they were to mentor a cadet, but Zack couldn't care less for the rules.

With a brief communication through their flickering glances, Angeal was the first to speak up, "You have my permission, lil' pup."

Genesis mock saluted him, "And mine too, as I fear your insane-motherly-hen wrath, Zachary Fair." Zack groaned at the nickname, but gave Genesis a warm smile, and the man grinned cockily back.

The three of them looked to Sephiroth, who still hadn't given his reply. The General was in a relaxed position, his legs crossed and one of his arms around his waist and the other lifting his glass up for a sip, his silver hair was in cascades around the whole armchair, and Masamune was leaning innocently enough at the side of the chair.

He did not look at them, as he languidly took his time to drink up the remaining water. Setting down the glass on the square marble coffee table in the middle of them, Sephiroth crossed his fingers and leaned back.

"If only to get you guys out of my apartment so I could get some rest, I give you my permission." Before Zack could whoop in glee, Sephiroth added, "And Zack, do find out the reason behind those injuries, I have a sense that something is wrong."

Sephiroth's voice was still in the same tone, and hasn't raised even a key higher. But a shiver ran down Zack's spine as he noticed how frightening Sephiroth suddenly seemed, his position was still in that same deceitfully relaxed manner, but Sephiroth's eyes were burning a brilliant shade of green and blue, and there was a dangerous aura surrounding him.

In a moment, Zack understood.

Sephiroth was pissed. The man was extremely angry to hear such damages done to a mere cadet, and he was furious enough to get to the bottom of it. Despite himself, Zack found himself grinning, and a look at Angeal and Genesis confirmed that they had on the same predatory look that he imagined himself to be showing also.

Grin fully in place, Zack locked his gaze with Sephiroth's.

"Hell, I'm going to find out, no matter what it takes." Zack's voice was also strangely dark and menacing. And he too, was letting out a positively murderous aura.

Sephiroth nodded, seemingly pleased. And Zack grinned wider.

Cloud is going to be his protégé, and he _is_ going to find out just exactly happened to the blonde, one way or another.

~End Chapter~

A/N:A longer chapter. Hope that you guys like it! Thanks for the hits, reviews, favorites, alerts and support this story has been receiving! A great thank you to you all~

Please, read and REVIEW! It makes great stimulation for updating~ =)


	4. Chapter 4

Title: Sky Metamorphosis

Pairing: Sephiroth x Cloud

Disclaimer: If I owned it, it would turn into a SephyCloud yaoi game…O__o

Chapter 4

The first thing which registered in his blurry and barely conscious mind was the sharp and slightly unpleasant smell of chemicals and medicine. The sterile scent assaulted his senses, coaxing him into alertness. Struggling to open his eyes, the small crack which he managed made him blink back tears as the altogether bright white light sting his eyes.

Mind clearer now, Cloud registered that he is currently in the infirmary, but the events which led to him here was completely lost to him. The last thing he remembered was feeling like death itself outside the building, and he was alone then. But the hazy recollection of footsteps had Cloud understanding in a moment that he had been found by someone, and the person must have brought him to the infirmary.

Trying to get up, Cloud fell back onto the bed with a low groan. His limbs felt like lead and was absolutely no use in helping him up, and there was also the splitting headache that he had when he strained his head up which added further to his chagrin. Shakily, he tried again, this time putting his weight fully on his palms as he pushed himself into a seating position. His hand trembled under the stress since its muscle was very weak, and even though Cloud was panting slightly in the end by exertion, he felt a small trickle of pleasure at having beaten his body and accomplished this rather strenuous feat.

Making himself more comfortable by lying his body back against the head rest, Cloud took a moment to observe his surroundings. It was as he thought, an infirmary, but it wasn't the usual one he was familiar with. The bed was larger and far more comfortable than the ones in the barrack infirmary where he used to go to patch himself up. Also, he was in his own personal room, whereas the barrack infirmary merely separated the closely placed beds by a curtain divider.

Looking around interestedly, Cloud took note of the bouquet of flowers left atop of the table beside his bed and a lone 'Get Well Soon' cheery faced balloon which hung at the edge of his bed. Now feeling utterly curious, Cloud cocked his head to one side as he pondered on who would be kind and brave enough to visit him in the infirmary. Usually his peers only offer him worried looks and hushed whispers of caring words in fear of McGavin and his gang. Slightly worried for the person, Cloud reached forward and took up the flowers. Searching around, he noticed that there was no card inside, thus he wasn't able to tell who visited him.

Brows creased slightly, Cloud set down the flowers and was about to try venturing off the bed when the door opened and in walked a neatly uniformed nurse. Her eyes widened at the sight of Cloud, with one of his leg dangling over the side of the bed, and she hurriedly rushed over, all the while saying concernedly, "Cadet Strife! What on Gaia do you think you are doing? You aren't fit enough to be out of bed yet!"

After being forced back into bed and helped into a more comfortable sitting position, the nurse, who introduced herself as Anne, stood at the side of the bed and looked over Cloud, with an almost chastising look upon her face.

"Really! Don't force yourself now, you're a patient, be more aware of your situation. The Lieutenant will have my head if anything happened to you!"

Cloud frowned in simple bewilderment. "Lieutenant?" He was fairly sure that he didn't know any lieutenants, since he is only a mere cadet.

Anne looked at him, and noticing his confusion, clapped her hands together while a realizing look crossed her face. "Oh right! He did say to inform him when you woke up, and that you might be disconcerted as to why you're here. Don't worry now, you're all patched up and safe, now, rest yourself while I go and call up the lieutenant."

"Wait. This lieutenant, was he the one who found me and brought me here?" Cloud asked.

Anne nodded, her hand pausing on the doorknob. "Yeah, you really shocked all of us when he brought you in, nearly half dead and running a high fever. You've been unconscious for three days now."

Cloud's eyes widened, "Three days?!"

"Yes. Really, what happened for you to get those injuries?" Anne asked gently.

Cloud looked away, his lips set in a thin line. He really didn't want to recall those dreadful memories, nor did he want to talk about it. Now that he was reminded of it, the images flooded his mind vividly, and the feelings of humiliation and defeat pained him more than the wounds on his body did.

Anne sighed, understanding that Cloud wasn't going to talk to her about it, and walked out while closing the door gently.

At the clicking sound of the door shutting, Cloud sighed. Not wanting to think anymore about the cause of his injuries, Cloud stared at the flowers and balloon, the sight of them strangely comforting. It was nice to know that someone still cared enough to bother to buy him these things, and Cloud wondered if it was the doing of the unknown lieutenant. Smiling softly, he made up his mind to thank the person properly, whoever it may be. He wondered how many lieutenants there were in the Shinra army, and felt somewhat grateful that he had been found by one of them. He supposed it must be one of the lower ranking lieutenants which sometimes popped in to check up on the cadet's training. He couldn't imagined it being high ranking lieutenants which worked alongside the General and his Commanders, as they wouldn't really affiliate themselves with a cadet like him, nor would they be around the barrack training area normally.

Before Cloud knew it, his thoughts slowly drifted away as sleepiness took over, and still filled with pondering thoughts about this kind lieutenant stranger, Cloud slipped comfortably back into sleep.

* * *

Bang!

Cloud groaned, wondering what on earth caused the loud sound which woke him up. Blinking, Cloud groggily sat up, his gaze unfocused as he swept a slow look around the room. His whole body still ached like hell, but he wasn't as disoriented as the first time he woke up, since he knew where he was this time.

Head throbbing gently with pain as the result of exerting too much energy to move his body, Cloud rubbed his eyes to clear away the mistiness surrounding it. A dull sense of instinctual nag at the back of his head was the only warning he received before he was unceremoniously ambushed by a large and loud object.

Cloud acted on pure instinct, grabbing the nearest object to fend himself, but regardless, he was thrown backwards by the impact of the force and accidentally hit the back of his neck on the head board. He let out a low groan, and suddenly his face was grabbed and a pair of worried deep, clear blue eyes came into view.

Cloud blinked. First at the man hovering above him, and then at the bouquet of flowers he had grabbed as defense which is now set on the nape of the man's neck, the pose almost threatening if one could possibly be slashed by a _lethal_ bunch of flowers. Hastily lowering the bouquet, Cloud moved to sit up, pushing away the man with his other free hand.

"Are you okay? Oh god, I didn't mean to harm you in any way you know, I was just too excited. You finally woke up! And I've been waiting for so many days, and must have gotten away with my feelings. Are you alright, I really didn't mean it—"

Cloud rubbed the back of his neck, all the while staring at the man as he ranted on. Now having identified the mysterious attacking object as this man who stood beside his bed raving on, Cloud took the chance to take a once look over at him. He was probably only older than Cloud by two, three years and had a head of spiky black hair which is almost as untamable as Cloud's own. Dressed in casual grayish-black sleeveless turtle neck shirt and a pair of loose fitting black slacks as well as black boots, Cloud couldn't possibly distinguish the person's rank or identity. Somehow the man looked oddly familiar, and Cloud wondered if he had seen the man before.

"Um…It's okay, I'm fine." Cloud cut in swiftly, hoping to calm the man down. The person looked at him, and asked, "Are you sure? You don't have to pretend if you're really hurt, I know it is my fault."

Cloud waved his hand dismissively. "Yes, I'm sure. I'm not hurt by what you did just now."

The person smiled widely, his previously moody and concerned disposition turning cheery and bright, and he quickly pulled up the chair beside Cloud's bed and sat on it, all the while saying, "Oh, that's good to hear. I was so afraid that you might hit your head too hard just now, or aggravate your wounds further."

Cloud couldn't help but smile softly at the man's antics. Although he was a complete stranger, Cloud felt that he was a friendly and nice person. Tilting his head, and expression curious, Cloud asked, "I'm sorry if this sounds rude, but who are you?"

Zack looked back at Cloud, and grinning at the adorably confused face the blonde was making, he reached out and ruffled Cloud's hair affectionately, causing it to be even more unruly than before. "Well, I'm the person who found you and brought you here."

Cloud's eyes widened. "You're the kind lieutenant that Anne was telling me before!"

Zack chuckled. "Yup, that's me. Pleasure to meet you, I'm Lieutenant Zack Fair."

Cloud clasped the hand which Zack extended to him. Smiling, he replied, "Cloud Strife, cadet in training. Lieutenant Fair is it, thank you so much for your help—"Suddenly, Cloud's eyes widened perceptibly as he paused mid sentence.

"Cloud?" Zack enquired confusedly.

Cloud shut his mouth, but then opened it again. "You—_You're_ Lieutenant Zack Fair?"

Zack nodded, all the while smiling happily.

However, Cloud remained looking like a gaping fish. "You, you're Lieutenant Fair, Soldier First Class, the General's right hand man,_ that_ Lieutenant?!"

Zack laughed. "Well, yes, unless there is another Zack Fair which is as close to Sephiroth as I do."

Cloud gave a look torn between shock and horror as he struggled to sit up straighter. With a serious expression, Cloud saluted Zack, and said firmly, "Sir, I'm sorry; I didn't recognize you just now!"

Zack raised his hands. "Whoa, slow down, it's alright, although I'm a bit bruised that you didn't recognize this handsome face of mine instantly." A look at Cloud's still shock face had Zack reaching forward to push down the saluting palm. "You can stop with the formalities, call me Zack, 'sir' sounds entirely too old for my liking anyway."

"But sir—!" Cloud opened his mouth to protest, he was still utterly embarrassed that he didn't realize who Zack was right away.

"No, I will not tolerate the person I am about to spend my time and live with call me like that." Zack said with an air of finality.

"What, sir—" Cloud was about to protest again when a stern look by Zack had him meekly switching to Zack's given name, "Za—Zack." Cloud floundered, flustered at calling his superior by the first name, but Zack merely patted his head happily, seemingly more grateful to have it this way. So Cloud relented, deciding that it was the least that he could do for Zack seeing that the man did save him.

Clearing his throat, Cloud began again, his curiosity getting the better of him as he reverted back to his relaxed pose and casual tone. Somehow, it was adequate with Zack, this friendly atmosphere, although the man was higher ranking, a newly met acquaintance and a million times more powerful than Cloud himself.

"Zack, what did you meant just now?"

"Huh?"

"You know, when you said that I would be spending time and…and living with you?" Cloud asked, hoping that he hadn't heard it wrong.

A look of comprehension crossed Zack's face, "Oh right! I had wanted to talk to you about it. Now, don't freak out or anything, but what I'm going to tell you is completely serious and true and you must accept it, you understand me?"

Cloud was a tad bit worried after hearing that, and he nibbled gently on his lower lip, a habit when he was nervous. What was so important that Zack looked so utterly morose and serious? A fleeting thought had Cloud feeling a dreadful drop in his stomach. He knew what Zack was going to tell him now, he was going to be expelled from the training program, he was sure of it. His track record had been scarred for a while now, and he knew even without being told that his injuries now must be really serious since he wasn't allowed out of the infirmary. And the fleeting memory of a previous nurse commenting that cadets would be let go of if they sustained injuries which needed more than one week of rest sealed Cloud's conviction of what was about to come. He shut his eyes, hoping to will away the aching need to cry, since it would surely shock and worry Zack, the man was kind enough to save him and be the one to break the news, even going as far as to warn Cloud of the coming disappointment and hurt although he could just say it without care.

No, he will not impose his own anguish on another person. Determined, Cloud suppressed the dreading feeling and opened his eyes, not quite meeting Zack's as he nodded firmly. He was going to take the news like a man, and be an adult about it. He won't break down after hearing it, at least not in front of Zack. He could still manage this least bit of control and composure.

Having Cloud's consent, and not noticing the slight shift in the blonde's mood, Zack scooted closer, and took Cloud's hand in his, while looking straight in Cloud's face. He wanted Cloud to see that he is sincere when he made the offer.

"Well, Cloud, the thing is," Out with it Zack! His mind screamed at his procrastination, and he moved in for the kill. "I'm taking you in as my protégé!"

For a moment, Cloud merely nodded, seemingly content with what was said, an almost despairing air about him, and the next second, Cloud's head jerked up, his clear, surreal sky blue eyes finally meeting with Zack's, there was a look of pure disbelief on his face.

"What did you just say?" Cloud asked shakily.

Zack beamed. "You! I'm taking YOU in as my protégé! Meaning that we will be living together and I'm going to be training you!"

"What? But how—Why?" Cloud managed to gasp out, still feeling that all of it must be a dream.

He knew what he heard, and understood that it wasn't played out by his own imagination since Zack had said it a second time. But he still had trouble believing it. In fact, he was having trouble believing all that had happened, since all of it seemed so surreal. He had been rescued, and saved, when he thought he was going to die. And then when he had thought that he was going to be kicked out and would never fulfill his dream, here was Zack, offering him the opportunity of a lifetime which he hadn't even dared dream of.

Being taken as a protégé was considered _the_ highest privilege a cadet could get. It doesn't matter who took you under his wing, it was a sure sign of trust and recognition of your abilities, which is the best compliment that a cadet could ever receive. So far, there were only two cadets of his group which Cloud knew had been taken in by lower ranking lieutenants, and they were the best of his bunch. But until now, it seemed that there hadn't been a protégé taken in by the elite team, namely the General, his two commanders and personal lieutenant, which was Zack, since the time Commander Angeal Hewley took Zack in as his several years ago.

And now, Zack, one of the elites, was asking him, Cloud to be his protégé?!

Cloud simply could not fathom it. Why would someone like Zack, who could choose anyone he liked, choose him, of all the hundreds of cadets? Cloud didn't really think he had any particular ability to be proud of, and his performance as of late was bordering on the lower average, so why him?

Zack, seeing Cloud's disbelief, mere smiled and leaned back further in the chair, crossing his legs as he did so. "Come on; is it really that hard to believe that I would choose you as my protégé?"

Cloud nodded slowly, and Zack rolled his eyes good naturedly. "Well, since you are so skeptical about this, let me convince you." A small pause, and he continued, "I've looked at your records," At this Cloud let out a visible wince, "and I've to say that although your performance have been lacking lately, I still see potential judging from your previous results. The trainers I've spoken to have all said good things about both your attitude in learning as well as your capability in achieving better skills than what you are now."

Cloud's eyes widened, he didn't think that the trainers would say such things about him.

Zack continued on, chuckling gently at Cloud's face. "And I have to say, after meeting you, I'm sure that you would be an excellent person to take in as my protégé."

Cloud still wasn't convinced though, "But my performance isn't really that well…"

Zack's eyes sharpened at this, and Cloud trailed off, unsure of what to say. "Concerning that, I think that I have sufficient reason to believe that it wasn't because of your own shortcomings which caused it." Cloud looked away, and Zack decided to use this chance to pry a little more information from the blonde.

"Cloud, I've seen your medical reports, and I've seen that you've been in and out of the infirmary for a few months now. I'm I right to believe that your decline in performance has something to do with the reason for your injuries?"

Cloud pursed his lips, but remains silent; however, his expression told Zack everything he needed confirmation of. Zack sighed, and was about to ask more when Cloud stopped him.

"Ca—Can we please not talk about this?" Zack was about to disagree, he wanted so desperately to get to the bottom of Cloud's injuries, but the pleading look on Cloud's face as he said another "Please?" had him nodding in defeat.

"Fine, I'll stop, but before that, can you answer my question truthfully?" Cloud hesitated, but nodded nevertheless.

"The reason for you being hurt so badly now, is it the same as the reason for all those other trips to the infirmary?" Cloud's head jerked up at that, and the barely concealed hurt and anguish in his eyes had Zack's heart thumping painfully in his chest.

"Yes." Came the soft spoken answer after a few moments, and Zack nodded, for now, he would be satisfied with just this answer.

"Cloud, I know you don't want to talk about it, but when you're ready, could you tell me anyway?" Zack asked.

Cloud nodded, and Zack smiled as he once again patted Cloud's head. It was an affectionate gesture which Angeal sometimes did to him when he was his protégé, and Zack found it befitting to use on Cloud.

"Now, back to business, Cloud, I'm not going to budge from my decision of you as my protégé, and seeing that Sephiroth, Angeal and Genesis had all agreed to my decision, there really isn't anything for you to protest." Zack said cheekily, although there was a serious gleam in his eyes.

"You mean, the General and the Commanders themselves have agreed to your choice of having _me _as your protégé?!" Cloud gasped out. He really didn't know if he should be thrilled or stunned by this news.

"Yup, so you better not disagree with what has been decided now, come on Cloud, one would think that the chance to train under such a devilishly handsome and impossibly talented man such as me would have a cadet like you whooping around in glee. But instead you look as if I have just killed your favorite pet." With a dramatic look upon his face and hand clutching his heart tightly, Zack said, "I'm so hurt Cloud."

Cloud couldn't help it, the expression Zack had on was just too priceless, and he burst out into clear, ringing laughter. Timidly he asked, "Are you sure you aren't doing this out of pity for me? You really don't have the obligation you know, even though you did save me."

Zack whacked his head with his palm, eyes rolling back. "Again, the cadet wounds me by suspecting my pure and noble intentions are based on something else other than his ability. Oh, the sorrow!"

Cloud tried his best not to giggle, it was just so unmanly and he managed a low sound torn between a chuckle and a laugh, coughing a bit as he did so.

Cloud was really warmed by Zack's behavior and attitude towards him. It had been some time since he had someone being so friendly and open to him, and a part of Cloud really wanted to grab on to this feeling and never let it go. However, the brittle part of his personality was wavering, whispering doubts in his mind. It wasn't that he didn't trust what Zack said and offer, no; he knew the man was telling the truth. It was more of a case that he didn't trust himself. What if he didn't live up to Zack's expectations? Cloud didn't think he could bear seeing the disappointment when that time comes. And the bullying before had really dampened his mood and self confidence, and Cloud was a bit wary of taking this step further.

It would mean that he would have to regain his spirit to fight and work for what he wanted, and he wasn't entirely certain that he had enough courage and determination to do so.

Zack waited patiently, keeping silent as he let Cloud work this out on his own. The blonde cadet was really untainted, as far as he could tell, and he wore all his feelings and expressions on his sleeve. Zack could easily see the conflicting emotions and turmoil in Cloud's mind just by looking at his face and eyes. This made Zack even fonder of him. He knew how selfish, deceitful and tainted a person could be, but Cloud seemed to be untouched by all these things. And he knew as a fact through the talks with his lecturers and trainers that Cloud was a kind, gentle albeit too easy going person. And they had all vouch for not only his personality, but also his capability. The kind and wistful tone they would use when they talked about him had Zack convinced that Cloud really is worth the time, effort and care.

But Cloud had to realize that himself, and Zack seriously hoped that Cloud wasn't that damaged mentally to give up, as that would really be quite a huge loss.

In fact, Zack had already found out the reason behind Cloud's injuries. Although reluctant to talk about it, Zack had easily charmed and cajoled out information from the people he had talked with. He understood that it was a bullying issue and that no actions were taken because apparently one of the bullies was associated with someone higher up. Although Zack wanted to condemn and shout at the trainers for being intimidated, he understood that it wasn't their fault since they had to obey orders from higher ups. That's why he needed Cloud to spare the details about what was done to him, and most importantly, who was involved so he could present a detailed report and motion to have these people removed. But for now, it seemed that Cloud was still unprepared to talk about it, so Zack would wait for it.

Now, however, the most crucial issue was to have Cloud agreeing to be his protégé and not lose hope and decide to drop out of the training program. Zack clenched his hands together in a tight hold, inside his heart he frantically prayed, _'Come on Cloud, if you don't figure this out, it will all be useless since you won't have the required spirit to train under me. _

Cloud was still in a pinch as to what to do. He wanted so desperately to grab at the offer and never let go, but his fear of failure was holding him back. Unable to decide, Cloud desperately worked over his own issues, trying to placate his fears but instead managing to get himself even unsure of himself.

"_Really, how silly to think about failure when you haven't even taken the chance? If you really give up now, then let me tell you that would be the real failure that you would have. Tell me, what have become of my son, the optimistic, stubborn headed and never quitting Cloud?"_

His mother's voice, gentle, sweet, but with a soft chastising tone silenced all his thoughts.

It had been what his mother had said when he had wanted to back out of the SOLDIER training audition on the last moment.

A sudden, overwhelming feeling overtook Cloud. And like a beast which had lain dormant and submissive under force being freed, Cloud's passion and determinedness overtook him, his heart and soul burning instantly with a fiery flame of hope and belief. How could he have forgotten? Cloud wondered. How could he have lost his most precious thing—his very essence of spirit so easily?

No, he will not have that. Remembering passionately how he should have been in the first place and regaining back his strength and will with this revelation, Cloud made up his mind.

"Zack." Cloud called out.

Turning swiftly to meet Cloud's call, Zack felt his breath hitched in his throat. There sat a whole new person before him, and Zack could clearly see that Cloud's eyes held a new gleam in them. Hell, Cloud's whole composure and expression screamed out different, and Zack knew that this was the person Cloud was supposed to be, sans all the mental and physical abuse.

Cloud had regained himself. And even before the words escaped Cloud's mouth, Zack knew what the answer would be, and the building feeling of euphoria overwhelmed him.

"I'm going to be your protégé." A confident statement, which stated not only the words, but also the feelings within them, and Cloud was telling him—Trust me, I won't disappoint you.

The ecstatic feeling spreading out in the form of a grin on both of their faces, Zack reached out and ruffled Cloud's hair again, no other words are needed, and they both understood it.

For Zack, it was like watching an instant, but not unexpected metamorphosis, and Zack knew he hadn't made the wrong choice in choosing Cloud.

Damn, he would so be looking forward to other transformations and changes that Cloud would undoubtedly be going through in the future, and the thought itself, was enough to send chills of excitement running down Zack's spine.

~End Chapter~

*Omake*

The door to Sephiroth's office slammed open, and the sound bounced off the walls, causing the secretary outside to wince. However, Sephiroth remained unfazed as he kept on reading the report on his desk.

Zack practically rushed in, and closing the door back into place, moved forwards and slammed his palms down on the table in evident excitement. Sephiroth carefully closed up the report and set it aside, lest Zack's unusual and unpredictable actions ruin them, and pushed aside a stray strand of silver hair over his ears, waiting for Zack to say what was on his mind.

There was a huge grin on Zack's face, and his eyes shone, even brighter than normal, and Sephiroth wondered what had happened to cause such a change in Zack's demeanor. Although Zack was naturally happy and friendly around everyone, Sephiroth could easily tell through his acquaintance with Zack that the gleam in his eyes was especially reserved for things he considered dear and important to him, such as his family, which Zack easily took him, Angeal and Genesis as a part of.

Laughing loudly in joy, Zack grabbed a notebook on Sephiroth's table and hugged it tightly, and Sephiroth was glad that the reports were safely out of way.

"He agreed, Seph!"

Sephiroth blinked, "What?"

"Cloud, he woke up today and now he's agreed to be my protégé! I've got my own protégé!" Zack pronounced loudly and happily.

Sephiroth allowed a small smile to grace his lips. So, Zack was happy over this matter then? The man had practically been driving all of them crazy with his constant worrying as the cadet hadn't woken up.

"He should agree shouldn't he, who wouldn't want to be your protégé?" Sephiroth remarked.

"He almost didn't agree, he thought that he wasn't good enough and that I pitied him. But its good he agreed in the end!"

"What? You're taking such a low self esteemed cadet under your wings?" Sephiroth asked, brows rising.

Zack scowled at him, but then broke out into a smile again. "Nope, he's passed that stage, he's overcome himself."

"Oh?" Sephiroth said.

A look of awe spread across Zack's face, "Gaia, you should have seen him, he was doing some serious thinking whether to accept the offer or not, and you could see clearly he's doubting himself. But the next moment, it was like he slapped himself out of self misery, and the change was instantaneous! I've never been so stunned by the power of a mere cadet before! Trust me, Seph, he's totally the right choice, and maybe even more than what we imagined." Zack paused with a look of excitement, and continued, "And he has really good reflexes too, even in his injured state, he managed to react quickly enough to block my sudden pounce on him. This means that he has really good instincts, something that not everyone could have."

Rubbing his hand in glee, Zack exclaimed. "Man, am I eager to train him. I bet he would really shine in the future."

Sephiroth nodded, acknowledging what Zack had said. Although Zack might be rash at times, he was the best when it came to figuring out people, and Sephiroth knew that he wouldn't have praised the cadet if there wasn't anything worth praising for.

Although his expression remained calm and poised as he took up the next document to look through, Sephiroth was secretly intrigued by what Zack had said. A spark of interest came to life within him.

Hmm, he had the sudden impatience to see this cadet in person, and to see if everything said about him is as true to the word as it seemed.

And as Zack ranted on about how great Cloud actually was in person, Sephiroth found himself more perplexed at the growing interest in the blonde. But calmly shoving the emotion aside, Sephiroth decided he was merely influenced by Zack's mood, and immersed himself in paperwork, while appropriately giving responses to Zack.

But somehow, there was just a nagging instinct in his mind that told him that this interest was more than just a fleeting feeling.

And Sephiroth's instincts were never wrong.

*End Omake*

A/N: Another chap! I know the omake is a bit long but bear with it~ I wanted to include Sephiroth in this chapter and keep him up to date with our favorite blonde cadet, hence the omake. The chapter, again, lacks in action and concentrates wholly on emotional development on Cloud's part. I hope you guys like the interaction between Zack and Cloud~!

I've been receiving all these lovely reviews so thanks to everyone who did so~ they really mean the world to me. So, read and review~! Thank you very much! =)


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Not mine, no matter how much I wished it to be~!

A/N: The start of the chapter will be mainly about some facts that need clarifying before getting into the story. I thought that it would be better to explain it thoroughly here than going through the same motions in the story and making it dull and drawn out. Please do read it, even if it may bore you slightly~ =)

Chapter 5

The Shinra Company base is mainly situated in the middle of Midgar City, the compound drawn out in the form of a massive circle in which the buildings are walled and fenced inside. A guardhouse is at the front and main entrance, with two huge metal gates on either side, one for entering and the other for exiting the compound. A smaller gateway is carved into the wall on the side of the entrance gate, giving way for the employees and member of the Shinra Company to use as an easier means of walking out. This gate is of course, monitored closely by guards and a security camera.

After gaining entrance, there would be a gigantic car park in front of the buildings, divided further into sections for personnel and another for guests. The Shinra Main Building is built in a rather unique way. In front of the building and attached to it is a smaller eighteen storey building. The building, which is aptly named the Section Building, is used mainly for office work which deals wholly on the main avenue which Shinra Company owns, namely generating power, trading and manufacturing. The Section Building's front door faces the car park and the Main Building could be easily accessed through a set of glass doors through the building's main lobby.

The Main Building is a towering fifty one storey skyscraper which is built with flair of modern architectural design, the glass and metal panes gleaming and shining breathtakingly as it catches the light, and shaped into a pentagonal shape. The top of the building rests a huge metal structure shaped abstractly as swirls of wings wrapped around themselves and twirling upwards to end on a single curved shape of the wings end reaching out towards the sky. The Main Building is also suitably named as the "Heart of Shinra", not only for the heart shaped resemblance of the wings' figure, but also because it houses all the important people of Shinra Company inside it.

The floors of the building are further divided into so:

1st: Massive reception hall

2nd, 3rd: Conference rooms and ballrooms, used mainly for reception purposes and business talks and negotiations.

4th: The staff cafeteria at one end, and the other end connected to a bridge linking the Main Building with the main training facilities.

5th: The main infirmary

6th—12th: Normal military related offices

13th—16th: Turks' Offices

17th—20th: SOLDIER offices

21st: Genesis, Angeal and Tseng's offices (the Commander of Turks and SOLDIER offices)

22nd: Sephiroth's office, with Zack's just outside his office.

23rd—25th: Research Department

26th—27th: Archives Department (stores all the information, regardless of which military branch)

28th—33rd: Turks living apartments

34th—40th: SOLDIER living apartments

41st—45th: High ranking lieutenant's living apartments

46th: Tseng's Apartment

47th: Sephiroth, Angeal and Genesis's living apartments

48th—50th: Shinra Family living quarters

51st: A stunning and gorgeous sky view on top of the building. Only high ranking personnel have access to it.

Four levels of basement: For researching labs

The Main Training Building is attached to the Main Building through a corridor-like bridge which is lined with glass windows on both sides. The building itself is only five storey high. The ground floor is filled with training halls, each with different purposes. The second and third floors are where the lecture halls are located. The fourth is where the cadets train using stimulation programs and also for learning about computer programs, it comes with three stimulation chambers. The fifth and last floor is where the library is located and has different study areas such as private rooms and group rooms on it.

Attached to this building is a two storey building which is the barracks, where the cadets accommodate themselves in. It is long and wide, with the barrack cafeteria situated at the end of the first floor. Both floors have a long hallway down the middle with doors lining both sides of the wall. At the middle of each floor is where the showers are located after a small turning. Younger and newer trainees live on the first floor while the older live on the second. This is also why Zack managed to bump into Cloud when he was on his way to the cafeteria since Cloud is staying on the first floor.

Right outside the training building and barracks are the wide and spacious training grounds. On the other side, merely separated by a metal fence, is where the real soldiers do their drilling at, and has a huge warehouse in which all the vehicles and devices were kept. Most of the time, missions were convened at this area where the people involve would gather together before embarking on their journey. This means that the cadets have a full view of the happenings going on around them.

The first floor training halls are all stored with available and suitable weapons for the cadets to train with. There were three special ones for materia training and a few others which are especially reserved for SOLDIERs, Turks and the Elites to use.

Elites—Sephiroth, Angeal, Genesis, Tseng, Zack, Rufus Shinra. (As named by their legion of fans~)

The compound has another entrance at the back, just on the edge of the training grounds. It is mainly used by military personnel and cadets during their off days.

Zack was positively beaming as he leaned against the cloth padded metal walls of the elevator, his head was tilted upwards as his eyes scanned the red numbers displayed, silently counting down to the floor he had pressed for in his mind. With a clear 'ding', the elevator halted to a stop at the fourth floor, and Zack exited eagerly. His senses were assaulted with the aroma of spices and the wafting fragrance of cooked food. Glancing to his right, Zack looked at the silver doors which lead to the cafeteria and briefly contemplated if he should pop in for a quick bite.

Turning, he decided that no, he would not, seeing that he had already promised to have lunch with Cloud today, and walked down on the opposite direction. At the end, the corridor jerked to a sudden right, and turning the corner, Zack followed the path which led him straight on to the attaching bridge to the Main Training Building. The window panes allowed the sun rays to stream in, lighting up the whole corridor in a glittering shade of light, and the cloud-filled blue sky outside only served to brighten Zack's mood even more.

He's now making his way to Cloud's room to take his belongings, seeing Cloud is finally moving in with him. It's been a week and a half, and the doctor had finally decided yesterday that Cloud was well enough to exit the infirmary, which had Zack in an ecstatic mood since then. In fact, Zack had actually already set up Cloud's bedroom a week before, as he was so thrilled to have Cloud as his protégé and housemate that he had decided that it was better to be prepared beforehand.

He had also proceeded to change his apartment inside out, from replacing the kitchenware and bathroom utensils to matching paired ones, to switching his furniture, curtains and color scheme to be more homey and appropriate than the previous settings which gave out more of a single-bachelor-look. He had also gone all out and cleaned his apartment, which shocked even Sephiroth, seeing as how untidy Zack usually was; and stocked up on his refrigerator and cabinets, filling them with tons of food.

Of course, the process resulted in him throwing away more stuff than necessary, all usable although slightly worn. Genesis had then proceeded to take in all of these items and sold it to Zack's fans, being the calculative and mischievous man that he is, he knew a business opportunity when he saw one. From what Sephiroth told him afterwards, the red haired commander had in fact made a rather lucrative amount from the sales and Zack shudder to think about how much people actually paid for his stuff.

Cloud had laughed, in that infectious and tinkling laughter of his, when Zack had told him about this story. Cloud is a good listener, as Zack had come to realize after spending some time with him, and Zack had since then told and sometimes ranted about his daily happenings to Cloud whenever he visited the blonde, finding that it was exceptionally easy to tell the cadet things that he wouldn't otherwise tell to other souls, except maybe the general and his commanders of course.

The first time he had mentioned Sephiroth, Genesis and Angeal in his stories, and how they would bicker or prank one another, Cloud's eyes had gone impossibly wide while his mouth fell, a look of utter disbelief on his face. Zack was used to this response, he knew just how inhuman his superiors may seem to those on the outside, and understood that many even wonder at the notion of them being human, since they excel in so many ways—be it in their gorgeous looks, god like strength and impressive power and authority, and most people especially thought that Sephiroth was the most incapable of human emotions.

Zack sighed. It couldn't be help though, Sephiroth just wasn't that use to normal human interactions, the result of being raised by _that_ bastard since he was little. But still, at least the man had gotten better over the years, the result of Zack and the commanders trying at every opportunity to get him to interact more, coupled with the fact that since he took up the spot of the general, he had to interact with tons of people, making him just a tad bit more sociable.

What Zack was grateful of is how quickly Cloud's disbelief, surprise and awe left him, which is about the time when he told Cloud of a second story in which he and Sephiroth had prank Genesis as revenge for pushing his stalled paperwork on them. The blonde's eyes had first widened hysterically, and Zack was almost afraid that he would repeat an episode of the star-struck expression last time which had Zack changing the subject of his story; instead, raw, uncontrollable laughter had bubbled from Cloud's chest and the blonde laughed languidly for some time at Genesis' expense. From then on, Zack had swiftly learned that Cloud wasn't one to care much about fame, wealth or power.

Initially, Zack had nursed a small fear that Cloud might turn out to be one of those fanatics who love to drill and pester him on facts and stories concerning the Elites once they knew how close Zack was with them, and he had sometimes hesitated in bringing up stories concerning them, fearful of triggering the unknown streak of insanity that might be slumbering in Cloud's body. But every single time Cloud merely listened, and would even give normal opinions and crack good humored jokes about the stories, the fanatic streak of fascination concerning the Elites never once seen.

And another fact which solidifies Zack's theory of Cloud being indifferent and uninvolved concerning this whole Elites matter was that Cloud has never asked him a question regarding them. Not a _single_ freaking question. This is a never before seen behavior by Zack, and that wasn't an exaggeration at all. Every single person that Zack has ever met had all wanted to know some sort of personal information, or special insight into the Elites life, particularly Sephiroth. In fact, most of them only asked questions and facts about Sephiroth, either out of pure curiosity or thinking that the knowledge may benefit them. But Cloud, he didn't even ask a thing about the silver haired general, despite knowing how close Zack was with him.

It was like Cloud didn't even cared, and was obliviously removed from the Sephiroth-bubble which surely garnered the whole nation's attention.

Zack found this trait of Cloud's to be completely awesome and cool, albeit slightly disturbing. Heck, even Zack himself wanted to know more about the general, and he is Sephiroth's direct lieutenant!

Finally, it had been Zack who had cracked under the pressure, and with an incredulous expression, blurted out, "Cloud, do you honestly don't want to know anything about Sephiroth? You must want to know, right? Just that you were shy to ask?"

Cloud had looked at him oddly, as if Zack had asked the weirdest thing. "No, not particularly."

Zack gave a strangled sound of desperation, confusion swirling in his deep blue eyes. "Come on, surely you would want to know more of the legendary general?"

Cloud frowned, and replied in the same nonchalant manner, "No, I don't want to." And then with a manner of fact tone, added, "Besides, why would I want to ask about someone who I don't even know?"

"But you know Sephiroth!" Zack retorted.

Cloud rolled his eyes at that. "Of course I know of the general, I would be living in a hole and still know of him, and know of the stories and facts that people love to talk about him. But I don't really _know _the man, not in a way that he is someone close to me, like a friend, or acquainted to me, like a comrade, so why would I want to ask any questions about him?"

Zack was speechless. It actually made sense the way Cloud put it. And he swore his jaw dropped to the floor that fateful night, startled and stunned by Cloud's unique perspective and unexpected maturity.

However, astonishment aside, Zack admired Cloud for his way of thinking, and although many will find it silly and foolishly naïve of Cloud to think this way, Zack knew that this pureness was exactly the most precious thing about Cloud. The cadet wasn't at all stupidly blind, he was aware of the evils in the world, and had probably seen his fair share through the bullying, but unlike others who will get bitter and corrupted, Cloud refuses to let himself fall, and that determinedness and wisdom is a very rare trait for someone at his age, which had Zack wondering even more about the trials and tribulations his protégé had gone through in the past to toughen him up like this.

By now, he had already grown completely fond and attached to this blonde cadet, and really looked at Cloud as his younger brother. Even so, Zack wasn't afraid of this change, but in fact welcomed it, since he knew that these familial feelings and responsibility will not deter him from being a strict and good mentor. And to be truthful, this bond will spur him on to train Cloud even harder, as he would want the best training for his protégé as while as 'little brother' and wouldn't settle at anything less than that. He knew Cloud had potential, and he fully intended to bring out these capabilities to a maximum.

Walking down a flight of stairs, Zack waved happily to a sergeant he knew, and the man greeted him back, but cocked his head in confusion as Zack's happy smile turned slightly dark and playful as the dark haired lieutenant recalled another event.

Never one to miss up an opportunity for pushing his superiors' buttons, Zack had oh so casually told Sephiroth, Genesis and his mentor, Angeal about Cloud's 'cold attitude and complete disinterest' regarding them. Angeal had raised a disbelieving eyebrow and grunted, while Genesis, the ever narcissist and flamboyant person, had gone berserk, an appalled look on his face as he declared that he would make Cloud a devoted fan of his, following his outburst of "How could he not recognize and indulge in the fascination and be curious of such magnificent species of mankind?".

Then Zack had rubbed it in even more by saying to Sephiroth, "You know—Cloud really, really, _really_, has no intent whatsoever in knowing more about you Seph. Gaia, could you believe it? Maybe you _are_ losing some charisma of yours for not being able to charm even a mere cadet, hmm…"

Even the ever stoic and normally composed general frowned gently, a distinct air of bewilderment and displeasure around him, eyes threatening a painful death for Zack if he didn't shut up. Zack had merely waved it off, laughing as he did so, his joy based solely on the displeasure they felt.

Unknown to all of them, inner Zack was in fact cackling maniacally and rubbing his hands devilishly, Zack hadn't really said all of those things just for fun, there was really an ulterior motive behind his actions. Not many people know of Zack's manipulative side, and he planned to keep it that way, but it could definitely be observed through how easily he could prank and trick anyone every single time he tried.

And his plan this time was definitely to rouse his friends' interests in Cloud, particularly Sephiroth. He knew that once their interests were piqued, they would definitely be looking forward and anxious to meeting Cloud. The idea behind the plan, aside from getting Cloud in their good books, is to hopefully let Cloud become their friend and companion, just like how Zack is. His previously 'Get Sephiroth a Friend' plan has come back in full swing too once he realized Cloud is the perfect candidate for the job.

The main trouble, apart from getting Sephiroth to acknowledge Cloud, is in fact getting Cloud to acknowledge the general! And if Zack had to be completely truthful, he would have to say that the latter will be an infinitely more difficult task to achieve. But no matter, Zack would be keeping his fingers crossed and wishing for some ideal outer force to lead the two of them together, and also, he would be trying to set them up too, never one to sit beside idly.

For now, he would be content in guiding Sephiroth gently (read: manipulatively) in the right direction (which points straight to Cloud), by leaving just enough breadcrumbs to keep the man following on.

Trying without success to hide his widening evil grin, Zack left another acquaintance in ponder as he passed the man in the hallway, hastening his pace as he knew that he was getting nearer to the barracks, his heart eager to get to his destination.

Walking down another flight of stairs, Zack took a right turning and immediately knew that he had reached the barracks. There were cadets loitering about in the hallway, some in groups chatting while others shouted at one another among the crowd. Doors were opened, trainees walking in and out, the most current music in Midgar blaring out from some of the rooms, and Zack had to try desperately not to wince at some of the lyrics while bob his head to others he favored. It is Saturday, an off-day for the cadets, so a lot were wearing casual clothes, obviously wanting to head out to make a trip to the city.

It was quite a nostalgic sight, bringing back memories of his own time as a mere trainee. Zack felt a small smile tugging at the edge of his lips even as the cadets spotted the sight of him standing at the front in the middle of the hallway.

After a moment of awed and stunned silence, the change was instantaneous as the cadets took up formal stances and saluted Zack, shouts of "Lieutenant!" and "Sir!" heard in cue.

Zack grinned, and giving a small gesture, said, "At ease."

The cadets put down their hands after a moment of reluctance, but their body remained stiff, and it was plain to see that they all wondered why one of the Elites was down in the barracks. But they all remained silent, not daring to question Zack—the famous left hand lieutenant of General Sephiroth himself, popular for being an excellent warrior in the battlefield, fighting side by side with the general and the commanders, and not paling in comparison. Also being the only protégé ever known to be taken in by one of the top leaders in the army, his skill with the buster sword is rumored to be impossibly graceful and smooth, in spite of its size, and being lethal at the same time. Being one of the most well known man throughout the whole country, and known also to be one of the few persons who actually dared to stand up to the fearsome and even more famed silver haired general, it's no wonder that the cadets chose wisely to be on their best act, trying not to do anything impertinent and disrespecting.

Zack continued smiling, and said, "Now, now, no need to be so formal, I'm just passing through.

Sorry to disturb you guys on your off day though." A few awkward murmurs of "It's okay, sir" came from some of them.

Zack continued on, "Well, I'm looking for Room 10, so could anybody tell me where it is?"

The cadets exchanged brief looks, while Zack look on patiently, finally one of the cadets in front spoke up hesitantly. "It's just right down the corridor, sir."

Zack beamed at the man, who actually blushed slightly, since it wasn't a normal occurrence to have the superior of your superiors to actually talk and smile and you in such a friendly and happy way. "Ah, thank you for telling me."

The cadets parted to opposite sides when Zack started moving, forming a perfect line of space between them. As he passed the cadet who replied him just now, he patted the lad good naturedly on his back and said thanks again. The man looked ready to pass out from the sheer awe and shock from the gesture.

Zack could easily hear the murmurings and whisperings of the cadets as he passed by them, all of them regrouping back into a small crowd as soon as Zack walked by, and were all following him interestedly to see why he wanted to go to Room 10. As the discussion grew, so did the conspiracies as to his reason of visiting Room 10. At one point he almost lost his cool façade and laughed outright as one cadet commented to another that "Someone must have done something wrong…Do you think the lieutenant is bringing the culprit back to the general himself? I heard that he kills them on the spot in his office with Masamune, and that the company has a stash of carpets to change immediately when this happens."

Really, now that was one rumor about Sephiroth that he hadn't heard before. He wondered why none of them remembered that he had improved hearing and could hear every single word they say, and listened on happily to the absurd things that sprouted out of their mouths. Briefly, he tried imagining Cloud gossiping in such a way, and found it was unfathomable, since Cloud would most probably just stand by and listen to everything while remaining silent, that's just how the blonde's personality is, and Zack wouldn't have it any other way.

Stopping short in front of the plain wooden door with the plate '10' on it, he knocked three times. A small grumble was heard before the door was flung open. The cadet who opened it had obviously just been woken up by Zack, and was about to insult whoever it was who disturb him with an annoyed look on his face when he realized that it was Zack standing there. Incomprehensible stuttering and a stunned look ensued.

"At ease, cadet. I'm merely here to retrieve Cloud Strife's items." With that said Zack pushed past the man and walked in. Each room housed four occupants with two double decked beds. There was a cabinet for each person, lined together in twos beside the beds, and against the wall. A small mirror was on the wall while there was a window directly opposite the door. Between the beds was a bedside table, and the rest of the room was filled with posters of bands and stars, while on the floor were bags and boxes, the items set near to their owners cabinet. It was slightly untidy, with some clothes, magazine and discs strewn on the floor, but that's to be expected in an all boys dormitory.

After a brief inquiry as to where Cloud slept and which were his belongings, Zack started to pack up Cloud's stuff using the blonde's own duffel bag lying at the feet of his cabinet. He must have came from Nibelheim with it, as there was a small tag with the words "Best of luck—Mom" on it. Obviously Cloud is a very tidy and organized person, since his cabinet was filled neatly with items sorted to each drawer. The first and second was clothes, folded and tucked away orderly in the drawers, which made Zack's job easier, he just had to take them out and put them in the bag. The third was where Cloud kept a few of his books, a small wooden box in which he keeps letters and pictures, and a few packets of junk food and biscuits. All of those were packed into the bag too. On top of the cabinet Cloud laid out an mp3 player, his mobile phone, chargers, as well as a metal necklace. These Zack put into Cloud's backpack which was laid on his bed, tucking them into the front compartment, but the necklace was put into his jeans pocket, since he felt that it was something important to Cloud. Inside the backpack were already all of Cloud's notebooks, books, a pocketknife, and a small pouch which held quite a number of medical supplies. Zack frowned at this medical kit of Cloud's, wondering if the bullying had anything to do with it.

He zipped the backpack up, tied up the duffel bag, and looked around to see if there was anything he missed. Turning over the pillow and checking both the top and underneath the bed, as while as taking another look in the cabinet and around the room; Zack was pleased to confirm that he hadn't left anything out.

Taking up the duffel bag in one hand and slinging the backpack over his shoulder with another, Zack made his way out of the room. Asking Cloud's roommate who opened the door if he had missed out on anything, the cadet shook his head in answer. The crowd had gathered outside the room, the cadets pushing on one another as they tried to get a better look at Zack. They had watched the entire process of Zack packing, and Zack was glad they had enough sense to just stay outside the room and not venture in to help him.

The discussion was still going on, this time focusing on Cloud and what he might have done. And Zack ears picked up a few odd sentences.

"What do you think happen? Did Strife finally have enough of what's going on?"

"No way, he had endured this long, why suddenly give up?"

"I think they must have done something really bad to him…"

"Yeah…I agree with you on that one…Those bastards, there's just nothing we could do…"

"Remember the incident last week? It was after that which Strife went missing.."

Zack frowned when he heard this, but as he stepped back out of the room his face was schooled back into a polite and friendly expression, a small smile at his lips but the joy within them not reaching the eyes. However, the cadets didn't notice, just stopping their discussion.

Then there was a small commotion at the end of the hall, and the people behind parted, letting someone pass through. When the small ripple of movement reached Zack, the lieutenant realized that it wasn't someone, but a group of people making their way through and stopping in front of Zack himself, seemingly intent on finding out what was going on. They were all wearing casual clothes, so Zack assumed that they had just came back from outside and wanted to know what was going on.

A person stepped out from the group, a cadet which was almost as tall as Zack himself, just shorter by a few centimeters. A discreet observation had Zack thinking that the guy seemed quite decent, with short spiky black hair and warm brown eyes. He was even quite brave when he asked Zack, "Sir, pardon me for asking, but why are you taking Strife's belongings?"

Zack just smiled, the reminding of Cloud as his protégé making him feeling cheerful again. The cadet, however, seemed to take it as Zack's reluctance to answer and a way of divergence from the question.

"It's alright sir, we're really just curious, and what has our dear classmate gotten himself to? Are you taking his belongings because he has _finally_ decided to quit the training program?"

Zack's smile became slightly strained, his previous cheerfulness dimming away. The cadet's tone remained cheery and light, still utterly polite to Zack, however the way his eyes gleamed and the way he said Cloud as his 'dear' classmate had Zack feeling that there was something other than curiousness that drove the cadet to ask these questions. If he had used a sarcastic tone, it would have definitely sounded like he was insulting Cloud, but even without, Zack still felt so, and that was weird. A few other cadets frowned slightly at this, and Cloud's roommate scowled and creased his brows, but Zack noticed that their displeased stares were not aimed at the guy, as if they were afraid to look at him, and Zack wondered what was it that they know of which he doesn't.

But those who came with the cadet seemed pleased with this remark, and some even laughed derisively. One of them said, not too softly, "Well, it's about time!" While another remarked, "Looks like Strife has finally bitten off more than he can chew."

The person who spoke to Zack turned to them, and for one moment, Zack thought that he was going to scold them, but he merely gave them a pointed and pleased look with his eyes, smiling as he did so. And that's when Zack knew that he hadn't gotten the wrong vibe; this person really didn't like Cloud, and seemed to want to humiliate Cloud using a discreet way due to Zack's presence. The man then turned back to Zack, and asked again, "So is it true then, sir?"

Zack looked at him, and staring straight into his eyes, saw a darker gleam in them, confirming his suspicions. By now the cadet seemed to think that his assumption was correct, a smug smile displayed for all to see on his lips.

Zack felt like he wanted to wipe the smile off that instant, preferably with a well packed punch, yet he calmed himself, not wanting to do anything rash.

Zack looked past the guy and his friends and observed the onlookers. While some of them had remained expressionless, others seemed slightly fearful and looked away from the group, a few of them leaving, pointedly not wanting to be in close proximity with them. While some others looked angry and disgusted at the sight of them, fear evident in their eyes and through the way they remained silent after all that have been said.

Zack's instinct screamed at him, and he knew that these people were somehow responsible for Cloud's bullying, and the rage came back tenfold. But Zack just tightened his grip around the duffel bag, his face still deceitfully friendly, calm and open, even as a raging inferno of displeasure was coiling around in his gut.

Flashing a grin, he asked casually, "What's your name cadet?"

"Malcolm McGavin, sir!" McGavin took pride in Zack asking for his name and he puffed out his chest slightly as his grin widened. Understanding now that McGavin was clearly the leader of his small gang, Zack fully memorized his name and features, knowing that if he really did bullied Cloud, than he would have hell to pay, and Zack liked to recognize his enemies beforehand.

Nodding, Zack walked past McGavin and made his way back down the hallway, he knew that McGavin and everyone else was thrown off by his sudden gesture and lack of response, but he didn't care, he can't stand the sight of the man who had just so blatantly displayed hatred for his protégé, and wanted to walk away lest he did something he might regret.

Stopping in the same entrance he had entered in by, Zack paused, and turning, smiled at McGavin brightly, causing the cadet to feel a strange fearful shiver down his spine at this sight, and not understanding why he felt so cold at the moment, as the image that Zack displayed was not scary in the least.

"Oh, I haven't replied all of you yet, right?" Zack asked, with a mock look of realization on his face. "Well, regarding Cloud, he hasn't been removed or quit from the program, no, nothing of this sort; and he didn't do anything wrong too."

A pause. The cadets listened attentively, eager and curious. Zack smirked at the desired effect.

"In fact, the truth is, I've taken Cloud as my protégé."

The last sentence Zack said while looking directly at McGavin, and he could see the initial confusion, then realization come to light on his face. Then was the look of utter shock, dismay, anger and a tiny bit of jealousy. Zack gave a wave and turned, walking on with a devilish smile on his face.

The expression on McGavin's face was priceless, and that was enough to quell Zack's displeasure for now. Swinging the bag to and fro, Zack started to hum softly.

Behind him, after recovering from a stunned silence, chaos broke out.

Cloud stood at the edge of his bed, bending his body slightly as he folded the sheets and laid them out neatly on the bed. Straightening up, he glanced around the room, feeling slightly nostalgic even though he was very glad to be leaving it. Taking a deep breath, Cloud said a soft "Goodbye.", picked up a bag lying on the bedside table, turned, and walked out of the door.

Closing the door gently with a small click, he felt as if he had just close a chapter on his life and was starting on a brand new and unknown one. Feeling a bit anxious and excited, Cloud breathed in and exhaled slowly to calm his nerves. It worked to a certain degree, since he wasn't as fidgety as before, but the queasy feeling was still in his stomach. Hugging the bag to his body, Cloud walked down a small corridor, lined by each side with doors, before finding himself at the front part of the infirmary. A counter was at the middle, a nurse sitting behind it. Behind her, lining the walls were cabinets of medicine and medical supplies, giving the unique but discomfiting smell of hospitals and clinics. In front of the counter was a massive glass sliding door, and beyond that was the plain sight of the elevators. There was a set of sofa and coffee table on one side in front of the counter, and Cloud made his way over and sat down. The nurse looked up at him and smiled, then went back to doing her paperwork.

A loud exclamation on his right startled Cloud, and he look over to see Anne walking towards him, an annoyed albeit amused look on her face.

"Cadet Strife! How many times have I told you not to do things by yourself? You really never listen, do you? I thought I had specifically asked you to wait for me to fetch you but you actually got up yourself and tidied up the whole room! Really, you do know that you aren't fully healed right?"

She then sat herself down opposite Cloud. The blonde had the decency to look embarrassed and said apologetically, "Sorry Anne, I know I am still not fully recovered, but tidying up the room was just a small job, really, I am not strained in any way."

Anne sighed exasperatedly. "Well, what could I say, you're a stubborn one." Cloud smiled at that.

Setting down a set of papers, Anne pointed out to Cloud where he should sign, and explained that they were his release papers and some were to certify his medical information noted down during his stay. As Cloud signed, Anne watched him wistfully. During Cloud's stay, all of the staff had gotten attached to him, not only because they felt pain and pity at seeing his injuries, but also because of Cloud's personality. He was friendly and polite to everyone, even the janitor who came in to clean, and he also had a very beautiful heart. Anne had particular bonded with him, seeing that she was his assigned nurse, and felt a bit sad now that Cloud is leaving. But Cloud had assured her that he would drop in to visit her sometimes, so it was still alright. Her gaze lingering on the rectangular patch of cotton gauze covering Cloud's forehead, the feelings of pity, grief and anger came, and Anne cursed those who hurt Cloud. She had lost count of how many times she did so since she first laid eyes on the battered and unconscious blonde, but the initial displeasure had yet to go away, instead getting stronger as she knew him.

It was a bit saddening to see Cloud, a mere teenager, being and acting so mature for someone his age and Anne wondered if he had been forced to grow up at a young age due to circumstances.

Cloud finished off the papers, and after chatting with him for a while, Anne said farewell and left, having some work to do, but not before forcing Cloud to promise to visit her and to take good care of his body. His appointment schedule was also handed to him, and a stern look from Anne had Cloud promising that he would be on time and wouldn't forget about it.

Looking at the clock set on the wall, Cloud wondered what was keeping Zack; the man was late—again. He had gotten to know Zack better and was glad that his future mentor was such a good person. But what really mattered was that he found that he could be himself around the man, and was now considering the lieutenant as an older brother he never had. It was comforting and nice to finally have someone to really talk and bond to, and Cloud thanked whatever power it was that gave him this rare chance.

Glancing over to the bag set on his lap, Cloud smiled. When Zack visited, he sometimes brought over some books or magazines for Cloud to read, helping with his boredom. Over the short period, the objects he brought had accumulated, bringing up the need for a bag to pack them. Inside was also a cute chocobo doll as well as the get-well card Zack brought for him. The former was bought because Zack said it reminded him of Cloud, from the innocent and cute look, to the spiky and untamable hair. Cloud had laughed and hit Zack with a pillow when he commented again that Cloud was also small and short, very alike the chocobo.

The clothes that he is wearing now were also brought to him by Zack, and Cloud had almost denied wearing them as they were brand new and obviously cost more than what Cloud usually bought for himself. But after a round of persuading and whinnying from Zack, he had finally relented and accepted them. It was still odd to be wearing normal jeans and t-shirts after the time of getting used to wearing the loose infirmary clothes.

The sound of the opening of the sliding doors alerted Cloud, and he looked back quickly to see Zack walking in, carrying familiar looking bags on both hands. Standing up, Cloud picked up his own bag, and rushed forward, giving a small goodbye wave to the nurse sitting there as he did so.

Zack ruffled his hair, a habit he had around Cloud, and Cloud tried futilely to flatten it, a disgruntled look on his face.

"You went and took my things?" Cloud asked, recognizing the bags.

"Yup, hope you aren't mad or anything, I just thought that it would be easier and quicker this way. Besides, you can't really walk around that long, since your inner wounds are still recovering." Zack replied, smiling at Cloud.

"Well, thanks a lot then." Cloud gave Zack a grateful look, but then smiled wickedly. "But Zack, you're late again, didn't someone said that he would definitely be on time today?"

Zack laughed, feigning innocence, "Really, when did I say that?"

"You're hopeless." Cloud knew by now that Zack wasn't a punctual person, always arriving a lot later than the promised time during his visits. It was a quirky habit, and Cloud understood that Zack would actually be on time if needed, since he was on time the last time the doctor scheduled another check up for him, so it didn't really bother him. He just liked teasing Zack about it, and Zack knew that too.

Cloud was about to press the elevator button, but Zack stopped him and pulled him to the last elevator in line. This had a larger door, and the metal was in fact gold bronze in color. Zack swiped a card taken from his pocket at a panel by the side, and a small beep of confirmation was heard. He then pressed the button underneath the panel with the same shade of color as the door, and looked up as the display panel on top of the elevator lit up.

Cloud couldn't help the slight opening of his mouth, this was the elevator which only the highest echelons of Shinra has access to, and he was actually going to use it. Noticing his companion's expression, Zack poked at Cloud, making the blonde close his mouth.

"No use gaping now, since you will be using this elevator quite a lot, so you better get used to it."

Cloud turned to look at him, obvious discomfort at the idea shown in his eyes. "But I thought that normal elevators could access all levels, except those levels where the commanders, general and Shinra family stayed."

"Well, that's partially true. It's just an easier version to tell trainees since they usually won't be visiting the main building often." Zack stopped talking and nudged Cloud into the elevator as it finally reached. Even the inside of the elevator was lavish, and Cloud looked around interestedly. The lighting used was a warmer and creamier hue than the usual white lights, and the walls were padded with rich red cloth with gold embroidery. There were more buttons on the panels, and Cloud realized that it had access to all the floors whereas the normal elevators normally missed out on a few levels.

As the metal door slid shut and the elevator made its way upwards, Zack continued on.

"You see, the Archive and Research departments have their own elevator on the back side of the building, and so normal elevators won't reach them. Also, as widely known, the living quarters you mentioned are of course, not accessible by normal means too. But what's not generally known is that the 45th floor, the floor which we're heading, is also not accessible normally, and if you really took note, there is no button for it in the normal elevators." Cloud listened on, nodding slightly.

"The reason for this is because this level is where only the most important of lieutenants stay, and the higher ups deemed us worthy enough to restrict an entire level for us. It's also understandable since our level is so close to the commanders and general that they won't risk the chance of letting anyone with malicious intent near it. So, my restricted level acts as a sort of defense against the upper levels, to put it nicely."

"I see…" Cloud mumbled.

"So, you better get used to using this elevator. You will be getting your own security card. I will be giving it to you when we reach my apartment, since I left it there. To use, you need to swipe to confirm your identity as well as activate the elevator. If it isn't in use, the display panel will be dimmed, if it is in use, don't worry either, you will just have to share an elevator with another person."

Cloud shuddered at the thought of meeting anyone in the elevator, since it would definitely be a very high ranking person.

"Don't worry, you're my protégé and housemate, nobody will scold you for using the elevator. Besides, you could easily get to and fro without the usual jam and delay of using the normal elevators."

Cloud nodded, feeling slightly assured by Zack's comfort.

Stepping out of the elevator when they finally reached the floor, Cloud followed Zack as he led him forward and passing through a small archway, found that he was in the middle of a hallway. Looking down the right side, he saw three doors before the corridor curved away, blocking his view.

Zack turned left, and Cloud followed on, looking around in interest. He had never been inside an apartment building before, since there was none in Nibelheim, but he supposed it would look like this. So far, they had only passed one door and Cloud wondered why it wasn't the same as the other side. He followed Zack round a curve of the hallway, and saw that it led down to only a single, quite large wooden door at the end of the corridor. Zack moved forwards with a sense of trained familiarity, swiping his card at a panel attached to the wall beside his door, similar as the one earlier and receiving the same monotonous 'beep'. He tugged at the door handle and pushed open the door. Cloud followed him in after a brief moment of hesitance.

With small and slow steps, Cloud made his way into the apartment. His eyes darted around, taking in everything, and he felt oddly nervous even though he knew that it was Zack's apartment and there is nothing to be anxious about.

Obviously in the entranceway, Cloud imitated Zack and took of his shoes, and stepped up to a higher landing, feeling the new and strange feeling of Zack's dark wooden floor boards underneath his feet. Zack smiled encouragingly at him, and walked passed an opening at the right. Cloud followed on, feeling bolder.

They were in the living room now, and Zack set Cloud's bag down on the sofa. Cloud set the bag in his hand beside it. Tugging at Cloud eagerly, Zack proceeded to show Cloud around. Back to the entranceway and through the left side opening led to a library and study room. Then they went back to the living room and at the middle of the right side wall, a small pathway leads straight into a dining room on the left and a massive kitchen on the right. After that, Zack pulled Cloud back to the living room, passed through a small archway at the end of it, and led the blonde into a hallway. The first door was for the bathroom, the second door for Zack's bedroom and opposite it was a small storeroom.

When they stopped in front of the door at the end of the hallway, Zack turned and gave Cloud a wide grin, the excitement and glee in the expression giving Cloud a sudden sense of anticipation.

Clutching at the door knob, Zack said loudly, "And now, I present to you, your own room, Cloud."

Zack pushed open the door, and Cloud walked in. His room was painted in a light brown color, easy and nice on the eyes. There was a wooden cabinet against the wall opposite the bed, and a book shelf beside it. Light was streaming in through the creamed color curtains blocking the floor length glass windows, and rays of light danced across the blue sheets that covered the bed. There was a bedside drawer, along with a study table on the other side of the bed.

It was spacious, more beautiful and perfect than Cloud could have ever imagined, and the reality of this being where he was going to live in and why he was living with Zack struck him more deeply than ever. He couldn't even begin to describe his feelings, there was just too many of them flitting like butterflies in his stomach.

Gulping, he turned and look at Zack, the dark haired man having on an amused, albeit happy and gentle expression. Clear blue eyes shimmered and sparkled as they caught onto the light, and there was a misty sheen covering the swirling of emotions in the orbs.

Cloud didn't know what to say to fully express what he felt, there just weren't enough words. Holding in the urge to cry, Cloud almost choke as he open his mouth to speak, a lump forming in his throat.

He managed to gasp it out, his voice wavering slightly as it came out more of a gentle hush. But Zack heard it, and his expression softened even more as he felt and understood the emotions in them.

As Zack stepped forward and gave Cloud an encompassing hug, Cloud said it again, louder this time.

"Thank you."

~End Chapter~

*Omake*

Genesis took a languid sip of his coffee, before setting it down back on the table. He and Angeal were in Sephiroth's office, his silver haired friend still poring over a report on his desk.

After a moment of silence, he spoke. "Sephiroth, would you stop working for a moment?"

A brief glance in his direction by silver eyes, but they went back to scanning the documents.

Genesis sighed. The general was really too much of a workaholic. "It's so boring without Zack around. He's gone to find the cadet again?"

Angeal answered, knowing that the question was directed at him. "Yes. Didn't you listen to him when he ranted about Cloud Strife leaving the infirmary today? He's helping the cadet to move into his apartment."

A small hum of response was given by Genesis. The man was bored, and both Angeal and Sephiroth knew it. Suddenly sitting up straighter, Genesis had an excited gleam in his eyes. Angeal noticed it, since he was looking at the man, and gave an inward groan.

This is not good.

"Hey, I know what we could do. Let's go visit Zack and get a look at his protégé!"

Angeal sighed audibly, while Sephiroth paused in the midst of his paperwork.

"Gen, I don't think that's a good idea. The pup specifically told us not to scare off his protégé."

"Come on, Angeal. I know that you're curious too. We will just pop in for a brief look, I won't do anything odd, I promise."

Angeal looked unconvinced.

"All of us are intrigued by the cadet, even though Sephiroth won't admit it, and I really want to see the person who has no interest in our dear general over here."

Sephiroth frowned at him. "Don't involve me in this matter, it doesn't concerns me"

"Oh really? Are you really sure about that? I notice that you always listen intently whenever Zack talks about the cadet and you must be curious as to how he must look like and be like in person, we all are, since he is someone who is not at all infatuated with yours and our name. There had never been such a person before and I think that you're just scared of meeting him, even though your interest is eating away at you." Genesis retorted, a sly grin on his lips. "And I've heard from a nurse in the infirmary that he is a very beautiful person."

Angeal looked at Sephiroth, gauging his response.

Sephiroth remained silent for a moment, flipping close a file and reaching for another, then replied, "Your observation skills have deteriorated then."

Genesis huffed. "You know that I am right." Standing up, he brushed the front of his coat, and said, "Well, I'm going to see the cadet with my own eyes, and leave you with your denial at your own curiosity. Let's go, Angeal. We will be the ones to see the cadet first and brag about it in front of Seph afterwards."

Angeal stood up with a grunt and followed Genesis, who had already walked out of the door.

Pausing at the doorway, he turned back and regarded Sephiroth, who looked at their exit with the same stoic expression. Though there was an annoyed and confused gleam in his eyes. It was like there was an inner turmoil inside the silver haired man, and he was torn between wanting to go, but knowing that it would confirm what Genesis said; and refusing to go, instead choosing to rationalize everything and dismissing away his interest in the cadet.

"You know Sephiroth, maybe Gen did have a point."

Angeal then shut the door, leaving behind a very bewildered general.

*End Omake*

A/N: Sorry for the late update! My computer spoilt, so there was nothing to be done…Anyway, read and review please~! And thank you all again for those love reviews, they really make my day.

To clarify things up, Cloud will be 17 years old, Zack—20, Sephiroth/Angeal/Genesis—23.

Again, hope you guys like this chapter~!


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: It's mine, it's mine, it's mine…What? Not mine? *runs off and cries*

A/N: Some people have commented on the small age difference between Sephiroth and Cloud, but that's how it will be in this story. Since I want them to be of a closer age that Seph won't look like a strange pedophile once the hot man-loving ensues~ *winks*

Chapter 6

Cloud was bent over, one hand firmly placed on his waist while the other tugged open the metal oven door. Immediately the sweet and thick aroma of chocolate and butter wafted out, teasing Cloud's senses and making his mouth salivate. Smiling, Cloud peered into the hot metal box and after a moment of scrutinizing, decided that the muffins needed more time and closed the oven.

Damn, he _is_ good. The muffins smelled and looked heavenly. Cloud thought absent mindedly as he wiped his hand on a piece of cloth. He had learnt how to cook when he was old enough to do so, wanting to help his mother out and ease the burden since she had to work. In the end, it had fallen into a routine that Cloud would do the household chores automatically while his mother earned their living. Of course, during weekends his mom would teach him certain recipes that she knew, but mostly all of Cloud's skill and knowledge of culinary was taken from books and years of cooking. He had only ever cooked for his mom, and he now knew that her constant showering of praises were genuine to the core.

A few days ago, due to the fact that he was bored to hell with nothing to do in the apartment, Cloud had decided to cook, seeing that some of the ingredients in the refrigerator were spoiling and that he was in fact, plain sick of take out. When he was living in the barracks, due to the lack of a kitchen, Cloud had endured the pathetic food that their cafeteria served, and had only ventured out sometimes during weekends when he felt like he couldn't take another bite of any cafeteria food. Therefore, to Cloud, the sight of Zack's utterly perfect kitchen and the availability of so many ingredients was like a dream come true, and he was absolutely itching to just cook something.

In the end, due to his over-enthusiasm, he had over done the dinner, making not only pasta, roast pork, seasoned grill chicken, roasted potato wedges and a garden salad as main dishes, but also a variety of desserts which include a huge chocolate cake as well as homemade ice cream. It was only when he had laid out all the dishes and put the desserts in the refrigerator to cool that Cloud realized that there were just too many food, and only two of them to eat all of it.

Needless to say, when Zack came home later in the evening, he was both flabbergasted and thrilled to see the laid out feast. After staring at the table for a stunned moment, Zack had turned to Cloud, an amused look in his eyes. "I'm really glad you decided to cook, Cloud, and these look heavenly, but even with my monstrous appetite, isn't this a bit too much?"

Cloud shrugged, and with a mischievous, albeit slightly evil glint in his eyes, said nonchalantly, "Oh, there's still more in the fridge."

Zack had stared at him, then promptly rushed over and took a look at both the freezer and the inside of the refrigerator. What he saw had his eyes widening and jaw dropping.

"This—Cloud, you can't possibly expect the two of us to finish all these?"Zack exclaimed incredulously.

Cloud blushed lightly in guilt, and looked away. "Well, I might have gotten just a little bit too absorb in cooking…." He mumbled.

Zack raised his brows. "This is a _little_?"

Cloud looked back at him, a completely innocent and wide eyed look upon his delicate face.

"Oops." He had said cheekily.

Zack looked at his protégé, and then both of them promptly burst out into laughter. They had then proceeded to tackle the situation by inviting both Genesis and Angeal to share in their meal. During the meal, there were several things that happened which led to Cloud's current belief in his culinary skills. The first was that Zack had practically stopped to praise every single dish that he had cooked after taking a single bite. Then, after eating a mouth of his homemade milk and vanilla ice cream topped with rich creamy chocolate, bits and pieces of macadamia nuts, and slices of strawberry, Genesis had let out the most sensual and misleading moan before saying in an entirely out of breath and husky voice, "Cloud, this is heaven!" After that, the commander had proceeded to polish off the entire cup and took away the whole batch of ice cream that Cloud had made. And when even the most stoic Angeal had gone wide eyed over his chocolate cake and gave Cloud a thumbs-up, the blonde knew that his mum really hadn't been exaggerating when she said that Cloud cooked the best food she had ever eaten.

Since then, Zack and Genesis had gotten into the habit of buying back ingredients to ask Cloud to cook and there were also numerous times that Genesis and Angeal will come over to join them for meals. That was how Cloud has gotten into the habit of cooking again.

Taking out a wooden ladle to stir the creamy soup he was cooking over the stove, Cloud was careful to put in just the right amount of black pepper and salt. Tonight was going to be more of a celebration than a usual dinner, and Cloud was determined to get every single thing perfect.

After another week and a half of resting, the doctor had finally decided that Cloud was healthy enough to start his training after the check up yesterday, and Cloud had been in the best of moods since then. He had been keeping up with his studies by using Zack's own library, but his more practical and physical aspect of the training program was without a doubt far, far behind his peers.

He was a bit worried, to tell the truth. The lack of workout and stress on his body after the vigorous training he was used to had weakened it. He knew without a doubt that his body felt sluggish due to the lack of exercise, and Cloud couldn't help but harbor a tiny fear that his training with Zack tomorrow might be disastrous. But he knew that it was an exercise in futility to worry over such matters, so the cadet appeased himself by reminding that Zack will certainly take note of his physical condition. The man was considerate enough to know Cloud's limits, and even without any proof, Cloud was sure of this belief.

If possible, the period he had spent with Zack had bonded them even more closely than before, and Cloud couldn't be more grateful for it. They had kind of gotten used to one another in their lives now, a great progress from the first few days of Cloud's stay in the apartment where both males were awkward around each other. There were things such as Zack being oddly polite and formal, while Cloud was painfully careful around everything in the apartment. But after that stage has passed, both were completely comfortable with the other, and Zack had gone back to his spontaneous and carefree, albeit slightly messy ways. The man had now even deemed himself comfortable enough to just sit at the dining table for breakfast with only a towel wrapped around his waist, and had confessed to Cloud that it was his usual habit after bathing in the morning, just that he made himself presentable for the past few days just because he was afraid of scaring off Cloud.

Cloud had laughed at that, dispelling any worries lingering in Zack's eyes, and poked fun at Zack for not remembering that Cloud had stayed in the barracks with the shower room being painfully exposing with only a thin sheet of plastic covering each stall. And of course, Zack had thankfully reverted back to his past habits since then.

But apart from this, the biggest change which had occurred in his life since he had moved into Zack's apartment might be his new found acquaintance with two of the most unexpected people—both of the SOLDIER's commanders, Genesis Rhapsodos and Angeal Hewley.

It all started rather oddly, in Cloud's opinion, during his first day in Zack's apartment.

Cloud had just finished bathing, and was lounging in the living room couch while waiting for the Chinese food that they had ordered. Apparently, even though Zack's level is considered restricted, they could still order take out. There are a few designated kitchen staff whom were all elected specially for this task. So, the delivery will be made to the employees' cafeteria on the fourth floor, and from there will be brought to all the apartments by that very group of people. The leader of that small group was the only one to have access to the restricted floors, and would be the one responsible for delivering to their apartment.

Zack was bathing, and had told Cloud to wait for the doorbell to ring and just take the food. The fees would be put onto Zack's tab in the computer system and be directly subtracted when his salary came in. The only other thing that Zack had mentioned was that since they had ordered quite a large amount of food, the leader will probably bring along one of the staff to deliver it.

So Cloud had waited, patiently, clad in a loose fitting white shirt and black shorts while a fluffy, light blue towel was wrapped around his neck, keeping his damp hair at bay.

He was futilely trying to rub his hair dry when the doorbell rang, the clear sound emanating through the whole apartment. Scrambling to his feet, Cloud hastily went forward to answer the door.

On the doorstep were indeed two men, like Zack had predicted. One was wearing an extremely flamboyant red cloak and had equally flaming amber colored hair while the other had his black hair in spikes, and wore an outfit oddly similar to Zack's.

While this peculiarity was noticed, Cloud didn't really thought much about it at that time, and had immediately asked the first thing which popped into mind with an eager, albeit shy tone.

"So, are you here to deliver the Chinese takeout?"

Both men had stared at him, wide eyed, and Cloud could only cock his head in confusion. Had he got it wrong?

Then the red haired man broke the silence by laughing out loud, and Cloud's had been even more bewildered. Obviously there was something amusing that the man found hilarious, but Cloud couldn't figure it out, so he just stared, looking skeptically at the laughing man.

After a few moments, when the laughter had subsided, Cloud asked again, this time a bit hesitantly, "So, I take it you're _not_ here to deliver takeout then?"

While the red haired man tried amidst chokes to contain his laughter, the other man nodded firmly, a small smile tugging at his lips, making his stern and hard features soften with a look of amusement.

"Oh." Cloud remarked, knowing that he was blushing by the small tingle of warmth on his cheeks. By now, the flamboyant guy had managed to compose himself, and was looking at Cloud with the same amused look on the other's face, but there was a strange gleam in his eyes as he took in Cloud's appearance, and the blond cleared his throat uneasily.

"So, um, sorry if this seems rude, but why are the two of you here?" Cloud asked as politely as he could.

Before the other man could reply, the red cloaked man stepped forward, extending his hand as he did so.

"We're friends of Zack. You must be Cloud Strife, his protégé?" Cloud returned the gesture, and they shook hands firmly, while the cadet nodded in reply. Now that he really looked at the man, he is actually quite handsome. Perfectly sculpted face, a straight and sharp nose, cheekbones slightly prominent, full and rosy lips set into a small smirk, and the most unique shade of color for his eyes—like a dazzling warm fire, orange red with an odd brownish tint to it.

While Cloud was making these observations, he failed to notice that the other had yet to introduce himself. Out of natural etiquette, Cloud asked, "Are you here to find Zack?" When the other nodded, Cloud gestured into the apartment, "Well, he's bathing now, would both of you like to come in to wait for him?"

A small frown appeared on the spiky haired man's face. "Gen, I don't—" What he was trying to say was cut off by the other man, now known as Gen to Cloud, when he hastily remarked, "Don't be ridiculous, Angeal, surely you won't expect us to wait outside?"

The both of them had then looked at the other, obviously communicating through their eyes, and Cloud looked on with interest. What Gen had conveyed to Angeal had the other man sighing, and moving forward to enter the apartment.

Cloud stepped by, letting the man pass, and noticing acutely their difference in height. Gen walked by next, and flashed Cloud a smile, but it had made him strangely alert for some unfathomable reason. Shutting the door, Cloud took a small breath before walking into the living room. The two of them were already sitting on the sofa, and looking completely at home. Cloud reckoned it wasn't the first time the two of them visited, and seemed to be on really good terms with Zack. After asking what they would like to drink, in which Gen had happily asked for a cup of tea while Angeal grunted a request for coffee, Cloud went to the kitchen to make it for them, and prepared a cup of tea for himself.

After setting down both cups in front of them, Cloud hesitated, unsure of whether to join them on the couch or just excuse himself. As if reading his thoughts, Gen patted the seat beside him and asked Cloud to sit down. Warily, Cloud sat, painfully aware that he was in a room with practically two strangers by his side. But the urge to know Zack's friends kept him from fidgeting, and he took a small sip of his tea to calm himself.

Gen had scrutinized him for a moment, and Cloud did the same back to him. He didn't know why, but it felt as if Gen was sizing him up, evaluating him, challenging Cloud to not break his gaze. And Cloud figured that it was Zack's friend's way of determining his worthiness, so he stood his ground, and looked back at Gen with a determined glint in his eyes, not wanting to lose this challenge.

For how long they remained like that Cloud did not know, but when Gen finally laughed, patted him on his arm and broke the gaze, he felt a distinct wave of relief course through his veins. Letting out the breath he didn't know he had been holding in, Cloud smiled tentatively at Gen. The man had paused, in the midst of picking up his cup of tea, and looked at Cloud with an inscrutable look in his eyes. The next moment, Cloud found that he was pulled into a suffocating embrace by Gen, and barely registered the shocked and appalled sound that Angeal made at the action.

"Aw, he's so _adorable_! No wonder Zack wants him as a protégé!" Gen gushed, and all Cloud could do was wondered hazily—Adorable?

Angeal groaned and slapped a palm to his face, muttering something which sounded oddly like, "What happened to '_normal_'?"

Now feeling quite alarmed at Gen's unusual display of affection, Cloud gently pushed at the man's chest, hoping to get out of the bone crushing hug. Unfortunately, the action just made the red haired man hug him even tighter, and with Cloud's smaller and weaker form, his efforts were all in vain.

Just when the blonde was about to resign himself to his fate, Gen gave a small, rather undignified yelp and was pulled away. Looking up, Cloud saw that it had been Angeal who had forcibly tugged the red hair away and sent his silent gratitude towards the man.

Making Gen sit beside him, and safely away from Cloud, Angeal then rapped his companion's head with his knuckle, and Gen scowled at the black haired man, looking as if there was a scathing remark at the tip of his tongue. A stern and warning look from Angeal silenced him though, and he switched to giving Angeal a look which promised future retribution in which the latter merely shrug off casually.

All the while, Cloud watched their interaction as he tried to compose himself from Gen's unsuspecting action from before. Although he was still slightly alarmed, the initial awkwardness he felt was gone as he looked at the two men in front of him. Truthfully, he thought that Gen was just really eccentric, hugging a stranger like him so enthusiastically; and he felt that Angeal seemed like a stoic and stern man. However, it was plain to see that the two really got along with one another, the chemistry between them blatantly obvious in the way they interact with the other.

Albeit a bit odd, Cloud thought that the two of them seemed like really good people, and he had a sudden happy and grateful feeling for Zack to have friends like them, something which he didn't have at all with his peers, and a pang of wistfulness was felt in his chest.

Before he knew it, Cloud was smiling softly at the both of them, an action that wasn't unnoticed by Angeal and Gen. Yet surprisingly, their first reaction was one of alarm, and Cloud's smile faltered at this, unsure if he had done anything wrong.

This time, it had been Angeal who broke the silence.

"Cloud, do you know who we are?" He asked softly.

He was of course, bewildered by this sudden question, but answered it anyway, "Yes, you're Zack's friends."

Stunned silence met his remark, and for one short moment, Cloud seriously believed that he had screwed up somewhere, which wasn't that far from the truth seeing that he had failed to recognize the intent behind the question, but he honestly didn't know it then.

But then Gen's clear and loud laughter had rang out, accompanied with Angeal's deep and timbre chuckles, and Cloud couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief.

That, was the start of how he became acquainted with the commanders, and the memory itself tugged a small smile at the corners of Cloud's mouth.

A small 'ding' disturbed Cloud's thoughts, and realizing that it was the oven which had sounded, he hurried over to take out his muffins, lest they burn.

Cloud was determined to serve up the best dinner tonight, not only because he was extremely glad for being able to train again, but also because he wanted to thank Zack, Angeal and Genesis for being there for him during this period. Although they hadn't known each other for long, Cloud felt oddly at home with them, and he was grateful for that, making him feel the urge to thank them with the only thing he can come up with—his cooking.

The dinner had to be perfect, and he would make sure it turns out that way.

~SxC~

Genesis tapped his pen absent-mindedly on the rim of his cup, his paperwork long forgotten as he stared at the clock on the wall. His face was pulled into a bored expression, but there was no mistaking the eager gleam in his eyes.

He couldn't help but look forward to tonight's dinner, the mere thought of Cloud's heavenly cooking was enough to make him salivate even now, and Genesis took a slow sip of the tea in his cup to quench his sudden pang of hunger.

God, did he wish that five o'clock would come sooner. Zack had said that Cloud told them to come over at seven, but Genesis knew that he would be heading over as soon as he took a quick shower. Cloud wouldn't let him sneak a bite at the food, but Genesis was pretty certain that there was some cheese cake left from last night's dinner.

Genesis smiled, a sight that would have caused quite a disturbance if it was seen by the public, seeing that it was a far cry from his usual smirk or flirtatious grin, and was a genuine one filled with warmth and affection.

He would have to say, Cloud blew away any preconceptions that Genesis had of the teenager. Apart from his shocking brilliance in cooking, Genesis was surprised to find that he really liked Cloud as a person, which was quite an incredible feat in itself, seeing that he usually preferred to be skeptical and immediately pick out a person's flaw, making him dislike the person.

It's not to say that Cloud doesn't have any flaws, in fact, the cadet was in a stage where he was still unsure of himself, but it was easy to see that the blond has sufficient determinedness in him, therefore compensating for his awkwardness. However, what appealed most to Genesis was Cloud's genuine attitude in treating every single person, and the way he accepted people for how they were. Genesis rather liked how he didn't have to keep up appearances in front of Cloud and act aloof without having to suffer through shocked gasps of horror. And liked what Zack had told them before, Cloud's lack of interest in their fame and fortune was indeed true, and albeit slightly amazed, Genesis was glad to have met someone like that.

Thinking back to the first day that they had met at Zack's apartment, Genesis couldn't help but chuckle.

They were standing in front of Zack's apartment door, and Angeal was still pretty disgruntled that he had been pulled along, and was trying to get Genesis to change his mind lest Zack got mad at them when the door opened. To say that Genesis was surprised by Cloud's looks would be an understatement. He had seen his fair share of beauties, seeing that his playboy attitude earned him many beautiful conquests and that he actually got to see Sephiroth up close, but he was still stunned by Cloud.

Cloud's hair was spiked up at every random direction, and a few strands were dripping droplets of water, showing that the cadet had just bathed. The stray strands that were plastered to the side of Cloud's face gave him a feral look, and yet the damped yellow hair only served to accentuate the impossible blue of Cloud's eyes. They were almond shaped, not too wide to appear like a child, but large enough to give him a wonderfully innocent expression, which wasn't too exaggerated and was actually natural to see. Cream coloured skin covered his face, and it was easy to see that there wasn't a single blemish on them. A perfectly shaped nose and the curves of his deep pink and full lips served as more compliments to his features.

And although Cloud's face was definitely beautiful, it wasn't at all feminine, but was in fact utterly male in a gorgeous and exotic way, something that Genesis and Sephiroth couldn't pull off even if they tried. But for all of Cloud's wild beauty, he exuded an air of peace, gentleness and innocence. And even though this was supposed to be contradictory to his looks, it in fact suits the blond well, only adding much needed essence to his unworldly features.

But then, Genesis was promptly brought out of his stunned state when Cloud asked them if they were there to deliver Chinese takeout. The voice was the equal to his looks—not deep at all like Angeal's, but light and steady, with a slight tilting slang that was influenced by his origins in Nibelheim, which oddly enough, only seemed to add a musical quality to his words.

Then Cloud's words had registered, and after a look at the blond confirming that he was indeed serious, Genesis promptly burst out in laughter. That was probably one of the rare times in his life which he actually full out laughed, and he just couldn't stop. It was hilarious, and slightly humiliating, that Cloud didn't recognize them at all, and thought that both of them were delivery men. The thought itself, two of the most powerful and famous commanders in Shinra, demoted to being mere kitchen staff was enough to make Genesis double over in laughter, and the uncharacteristic shocked yet amused look on Angeal's face was just the topping on the cake.

After getting invited in to Zack's apartment, Genesis was more than eager to find out about Cloud as a person, seeing that the blond did piqued his interest, and he started out with his customary challenging stare. He could almost hear Angeal's exasperated sigh from the other sofa, but he was determined to get through with it. While Sephiroth's suffocating aura and Angeal's silent disposition were their own ways of evaluating a person, Genesis' was his trademark stare. For a moment, he was quite smug that Cloud would just look away and step down, seeing that it was what most people would do. Imagine his surprised when Cloud only frowned lightly before glaring back at him with equal ferocity, challenging him back head on and unflinching in the least.

It was the first time in a long time that anyone had given him such a response, and Genesis found that it was indeed a pleasant surprise, and was force to concede that maybe Zack was right about his protégé.

And when Cloud had smiled, looking so happy and yet fragile at the same time, Genesis could just feel his heart melting, and without thinking, he had hugged the blond fiercely, thinking that it was the cutest thing he had seen, all the while thinking how such a gorgeous person could look so utterly adorable at the same time. Angeal, being the person that he is, was of course alarmed by Genesis' gesture, but Genesis knew that the man know it was his brand of acceptance, seeing that he had done the same to Angeal, Sephiroth and Zack when they met.

Afterwards, while he was in the midst of glaring at Angeal for pulling him so harshly from Cloud, he noticed the blond smiling at them, and he couldn't help but feel stunned again, and he knew that Angeal felt the same way through the tensing of his muscles. Cloud was smiling at them openly, without any barriers at all, and it was such a warm gesture, something that was rarely shown to them by people that knew who they were, and the two commanders were at a loss as what to do.

Angeal had decided to move in for the kill by asking Cloud the most important question that had been lingering in their minds. Cloud's straightforward and truthful answer of thinking of them merely as Zack's friends eased both of them. They were adept at reading people, particularly Angeal who knew how to tell if a person was lying, and it was plain to see that Cloud truly believed in what he had said, and had no clue at all as to who they were, confirming that he wasn't a brilliant actor trying to con Zack, and was really as good a person as Zack said he was.

After that, they launched into small talk, all the while gently prying information from Cloud's mouth, asking him questions that would show his personality. Cloud was as gullible as he seemed, answering and speaking with an air of truthfulness and sincerity, and Genesis admitted that he liked the cadet very much—it was almost impossible these days to find someone as genuine as Cloud.

Of course, when Zack came out from his bath and saw Genesis slinging an arm over Cloud's shoulder (the cadet flinched slightly, still unused to an almost stranger's touch), he had gone ballistics, almost yanking his arm off trying to pull him away from Cloud. The man was also shouting profanities, and sending him murderous glares, while grabbing Cloud by the shoulders and asking if the teen was molested or harassed in any manner, in which Genesis rolled his eyes in annoyance. After making sure that Cloud wasn't in any way scarred, mentally and physically, he had sat down beside Cloud, as Genesis took the seat beside Angeal, directly opposite from Zack.

It was obvious to see that Cloud was confused by then, not understanding what was happening at all.

"Zack, what's wrong?" He had asked timidly. Zack ignored him, turning his full glare on both Genesis and Angeal. Oh, the pup was seething by now.

"What the hell are the both of you doing in my apartment?" Zack had almost shouted at them. Genesis just shrugged while Angeal looked away guiltily.

Cloud grabbed Zack, making the man to turn to look at him. "Zack, I don't know what you're so mad about, but they are your friends anyway, couldn't you please try and be less angry?"

"They came here uninvited! When I had practically asked them to stay away until you had become accommodated!" Zack swerved around to glare at Genesis, "So what's next? Don't tell me Sephiroth is going to come knocking on the door any moment now?" His tone was deceptively calm.

Genesis smirked. "No, he's too far stuck in denial to get himself out to visit anyway."

Angeal snorted, while Zack had raised his brows. Cloud looked downright lost by now.

"What..? Sephiroth? As in the General…?" Cloud asked, his head cocked to the side.

At this Zack turned so abruptly that Cloud moved back swiftly, and Genesis noted that the blond did it out of pure instinct, backing away just in time that Zack's head didn't collided with his.

_Hmm._ He had thought absent mindedly. _Good reflexes._

Zack looked at Cloud, then at Angeal and Genesis, and after that he looked back at Cloud again, this time with an almost enlightened look on his face.

"You don't know who they are, do you?" He asked breathlessly.

Cloud had frowned at that. "Why do you guys keep asking me this question? They are your friends, are they not?"

And then Zack had laughed, and then proceeded to hug Cloud swiftly before turning back to Genesis and Angeal. "So, how does it feel to be anonymous?" There was a smug look on his face now, the previous anger all gone.

Angeal chuckled at Zack's antics. "It's refreshing." He said, while throwing Cloud a glance. Cloud had taken to observing their interactions, although he was still visibly confused with the way his brows knitted up.

Genesis merely scowled. "Not unwelcomed, but particularly degrading when I'm demoted to a delivery man." His tone was sarcastic, but there was an amused glint in his eyes.

Zack had laughed even more. "Told you everything I said about him is true." He gave Cloud a small pat on the head.

Cloud swat his hand away, "Right. This is getting downright hard to keep up with. I honestly don't have a clue as to what you guys are talking about."

At this the three men laughed. Cloud was just so amusing sounding so exasperated at them.

"You know, at least he recognized me after hearing my name, and I wasn't demoted at all." Zack said playfully at Genesis and Angeal, then with a big swipe of his arm, Zack proclaimed with an over the top loud and formal tone, "And now, Cloud, I formally announce to you Genesis Rhapsodos and Angeal Hewley, both the commanders of SOLDIER, the latter my mentor, and the former a royal pain in my ass."

Cloud blinked, and then blinked again. Then realization dawned on his face. With a small groan, he buried his face in his hands. After a brief moment, he looked up again, a delicate blush on his cheeks as he smiled in embarrassment.

"Oh. Sorry I didn't recognize both of you, sirs." Cloud said apologetically.

Genesis was wide eyed, he had expected a bigger reaction, one where Cloud would become starry eyed and apologize profusely for not recognizing them at all. But then, that wasn't really like how the cadet would act, so Genesis immediately smiled.

"Oh, it's okay, besides, it's not every day that I get to meet a person who doesn't recognize this gorgeous face of mine."

"Uh, okay?" Cloud said uncertainly.

"And Cloud, don't call us sir, it makes me feel so uneasy and old, just call me like how you do before." Genesis added. Angeal nodded in approval.

"Well, again, Gen and Angeal, now that I finally know who you both really are, I am Cloud Strife, cadet and protégé of Zack." Cloud said seriously, his hand reaching out to Genesis. The red haired commander shook it solemnly, and after a moment, the two of them promptly burst out into laughter, and the awkward atmosphere was once again eased.

Zack joined in too, while Angeal merely smiled at their antics.

Then amidst choking laughter, Cloud had remarked, "Gaia, I can't believe I mistook the commanders for the delivery boy!" And Genesis was amazed at how easily Cloud has eased away the tension that was supposed to be in between them because of their difference in status.

Needless to say, from that point on, Genesis and Angeal frequently visited Zack's apartment. It was fun to be around Cloud, he wasn't as mischievous and troublesome like Zack, nor was he stoic and uptight like Angeal. He radiates joy and energy, and sometimes, could also be as devious as Zack, as insightful as Angeal and as sarcastic as Genesis when he needed to be. And it was a thrill to have a friend like him. There was always something new to discover around the blond, and Genesis found that all Zack, Angeal and him, were attracted to Cloud's personality and savoured the way he acted and interacted with them. It was like finding refuge when he was lost in a storm— it was comforting and warm.

Genesis smirked. It was a pity that Sephiroth had been called away on a mission since the day they first met Cloud, and Genesis and Zack had been lamenting on the fact that they can't force the general to meet the blond cadet. Although, Genesis had been _helpfully_ sending pictures of Cloud's cooking as well as taunting messages to Sephiroth's cell, reminding his friend of how happy they were of spending time with Cloud.

Zack had roped him in the loop of his 'getting Sephiroth and Cloud together' plan, and Genesis had agreed to help, not wanting to miss out on the excitement. Genesis knew that sending Sephiroth those things would irk the man, and would also bring forth Sephiroth's interest. Playfully, Genesis wondered how long it would take for Sephiroth to finally break. He suspected not long, seeing that he had, ahem, _accidentally_ sent a picture of Cloud just the day before. And he was sure that while Sephiroth wasn't interested in a person's looks, he would be intrigued by the cadet, like how Genesis and Angeal were when they first met him.

Cloud had that effect on people; the mere look of him was enough to cause a myriad of emotions. Genesis and Zack were counting on this to bring Sephiroth out of his own cocoon.

A look at the clock again, four forty-five, it showed. Genesis threw down his pen, and swiftly stood up, grabbing his red coat as he did so. Well, Sephiroth wasn't around, so who was going to nag him if he got off early? Besides, it was just fifteen minutes, and this wasn't the first time Genesis had got off early anyway.

Putting on the coat, Genesis walked out from his office, not bothering to look at his secretary as he passed her. His mind was purely on tasting the heavenly cheese cake that Cloud made. Even so, he can't help but think back to how Sephiroth would react to Cloud. The man would be in for a surprise, that much was sure, since Cloud was pretty unpredictable and unlike any other person that they have met. Genesis agreed with Zack when he said that Cloud would be the one who is unfazed by Sephiroth, not the other way around. The cadet would not be smitten or go fawning or withering in fear when he meets Sephiroth. Perhaps there would be some surprise on Cloud's part, and probably nervousness and a bit of panicking, but then the blond would probably rebound back to his own self and acted like when he had known who Genesis was.

It just wasn't _like_ Cloud to show anything that was remotely close to adoration and being star-struck, seeing that the teen had no sense of fame, fortune and power. Respect would be expected, but nothing more from that. And Genesis couldn't help but think of how odd that sounded. He had gotten quite used to all the gasping, screaming and fawning that people would make over him, and was eternally gratefully that Cloud didn't act like that.

Lips curling up into a devilish smirk, Genesis couldn't help but look forward to Sephiroth meeting Cloud.

Oh, the man would be in for a ride.

~End Chapter~

~Omake~

*Two days earlier*

Sephiroth snapped open his cell, visibly irritated when he saw Genesis' name on the screen again. A bump on the road jerked him, but he remained calm and composed, while there were several yelps from the soldiers sitting behind in the jeep. He sat in the front passenger seat, silver hair tied back into a ponytail to keep the wind from sweeping it all over his face.

They had finally finished their mission, and was now heading back to Midgar, and Sephiroth estimated it would probably take two to three days of journey to reach.

He would never admit it, but he was quite annoyed that he had been called away on this mission at that time. He hadn't wanted to think that his annoyance stemmed from the fact that he was the only one left not seeing Zack's protégé, but when Genesis started sending those messages and pictures to him, Sephiroth was forced to face his own feelings on the matter and had begrudgingly admitted to himself that he was indeed displeased (not jealous at all) that he had yet to evaluate Zack's protégé.

He wondered if the cadet would really live up to his name. Sephiroth had heard so much about him these past few days that he figured it would be quite a big disappointment if all the hype turned out to be nothing at all. He knew for certain that most people just can't stand being around him without feeling either awe or fear. Yet, this mere cadet was said to be able to dismiss his status and power, and that was something that Sephiroth was skeptical about.

He was half convinced that it was all merely exaggeration on Genesis and Zack's part, except for the food, which all looked exceptional; and that Cloud Strife would just act like how everyone did around him. But a small part of him was telling him to just go and meet the cadet, then he would understand all those compliments concerning the trainee.

Sighing inwardly, Sephiroth pressed the button on his cell, wondering what Genesis had sent him this time.

Silver eyes widened while his breath caught. Not realizing his mouth was slightly open, Sephiroth's eyes flickered through every detail in the photo. The eyes, the mouth, the nose, the skin, the hair, the face…

Gaia! Sephiroth couldn't help but think. This cadet is indescribable…And for once, Sephiroth found himself at a loss of words.

Swallowing down the sudden lump in his throat, Sephiroth flipped his phone closed and clenched it in his hand. His face was still as expressionless as ever, but his eyes showed a different story. It was a twirling whirlpool of silver now, with an unusual spark in them, showing off the torrent of emotions that he felt.

Sephiroth frowned lightly. All this just because of a glance from a simple picture! What had become of him?

He was about to dismiss away the feelings again, wanting to squash them down when the picture flashed vividly in his mind. A gorgeous, exotic face looking back at him with laughing blue eyes that shined brilliantly, the bright gleam in them something that no amount of mako could ever create. Soft, disarrayed, spiky blonde hair cascading around a delicate, yet unquestionably male face. Seemingly soft, full lips curved sensually upwards in an altogether gentle and warm smile which sent shivers down Sephiroth's spine…

Sephiroth's eyes snapped open. He didn't even know he had closed them. His eyes were deep steely silver by now, and his lips curled up in a small smirk.

He had decided. He was going to see Cloud Strife when he arrived back in Midgar.

~End Omake~

A/N: *lets out a deep breath* Finally, I've finished this chapter! Sorry about the late update, lots of things happen, and I didn't have any time…But I promise that I will never abandon my stories, regardless of how long I take to update them, so don't worry~! I have my own laptop now, so I guess it will be easier and quicker to update next time.

Hope you guys liked this chapter~! Genesis and Angeal meeting Cloud, I took time writing it out so it would turn out nicely… Please review~! They make my day~

Again, thanks for all the attention, reviews, hits, alerts and so forth on this story. Your support is a great present to me! Until next time then~


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Alas, not mine. Think of how much Sephiroth x Cloud goodness I could have stuffed in it…T_T

Chapter 7

Cloud panted, his breaths coming out in white puffs as they condensed in the cold morning air. His heavy and ragged breathing was obvious, and he struggled to regulate it into a steadier pace, even though it was almost painful to ignore the silent urge for more air by his straining lungs.

Feeling slightly dismayed, Cloud squeezed his eyes shut, trying desperately to will more strength into his muscles as he raised his palm to wipe away the sweat around his forehead and cheeks. Even so, his legs kept on moving, unwavering from the pace he had fallen into even if a corner of his mind kept telling him to slow down.

Zack had decided to start off the day's training by following the usual routine morning exercises that cadets follow every single day. He had led Cloud to a secluded training field which was on the direct opposite of where the trainees usually trained. Cloud had never seen it before though, since it was blocked entirely by the large building towering beside it. Zack had explained that it was the SOLDIER's own private area, and that sometimes when he was feeling particularly productive, he would wake up in the early morning for a simple jog.

After completing the basic stretches to warm his body up and also to clear off the drowsiness, Zack had instructed Cloud to jog around the field, and told him that he was allowed to run at his own pace and stop whenever he wanted to. Feeling a tad bit uneasy at being allowed such freedom of choice, Cloud had nodded hesitantly and started his laps.

At first, due to the lack of exercise for these past few weeks, Cloud's body was sluggish and seemed to be protesting to the motions as he started jogging. It was like he was held down by an invisible and heavy weight, and his heart dropped as he tried to regain his usual pace. The first ten minutes were basically like hell, with every part of his joints and muscles putting up a silent riot against his exercise, and Cloud struggled to find a natural pace in which he could achieve optimum speed and yet put the least amount of strain on his knees and legs. Although he had already suspected that his body would need to be accustomed again to the trainings he would need to do, he hadn't really thought that the starting would be so tough, and Cloud felt a pang of disappointment towards himself.

Thankfully, after a few laps, his movements started to smooth out, and although his knees were still wobbly, the adrenaline had kicked in, and he fell into a steady pace in which he was most comfortable with.

In his mind, Cloud had already told himself that he would aim to run the usual number of laps a cadet would be required of, which were normally fifty rounds. Even though Zack had told him to just do what he was capable of, Cloud felt like he needed to do this. He felt as if he must prove something, anything that would assure himself that he was still a cadet and that he was still capable of becoming a SOLDIER.

However, another fifteen minutes later, he began to wonder if it was truly possible.

He was only going into his twenty-eighth round, and his breathing had turned increasingly erratic and difficult to control. His muscle was sore, and his feet numb as he practically ran on willpower itself, not wishing to stop just halfway through his target. Cloud knew he should, but he just didn't want to.

And this brings him back to the present, where he was struggling to keep moving at the same pace even though every fiber of his being was just aching to stop. Yet Cloud kept on, now into his thirtieth round, and acutely feeling the desperate urge to complete his goal.

Zack, who had been watching by the sidelines while sitting on a bench listening to his mp3 player, suddenly called out to Cloud. Stopping, the blonde cadet looked back at Zack, only to find that his mentor was waving him over, a small frown marring his handsome visage.

Wiping his forehead on his sleeve, Cloud took in large gulps of air as he made his way over towards Zack.

Stopping in front of the man, Cloud gave a small yelp as Zack stood up and flicked a finger at his forehead. Rubbing the sore spot with a bewildered look upon his face, Cloud looked up, only to see Zack looking at him with an almost relieved expression upon his face before his hand shot up again and pressed down onto Cloud's sweat damped hair.

Cloud gulped instinctively when he noticed the stern and almost reprimanding glint in Zack's eyes.

"Cloud, you're pushing yourself too hard. Didn't I say that you should stop when it is enough? You should have known better than to push your limits." Zack sighed softly.

Suddenly feeling embarrassingly guilty, Cloud opened his mouth to apologize, but Zack shook his head, cutting off anything he might have wanted to say. "It's fine. I know that you must be anxious, but don't be. Forcing yourself is really not a good way to go about it."

Cloud nodded, knowing that he had been at fault, and feeling even more apologetic now that he knew that Zack had been worried of him.

Albeit reluctantly, Cloud now finally admitted that the whole time while he was recuperating, he had actually been worrying about his future as a cadet. Being a SOLDIER was the only dream that he ever had, and the only thing that he had actually wanted so badly that his whole being practically ached with yearning. As he was brought up in a single parent family, Cloud had long since understood that there were times when one has to make compromises, and also to give up on things they wanted—his mother being the prime example in how she sacrificed her time and being to support their family and giving up on pursuing her own dreams. And Cloud, since he was small, learnt to adapt to lessen his mother's worries. He never complained about the bullying he got or the taunts and jeers aimed at him since he had no father. He also didn't wish for anything for himself, knowing that if he even openly admired something, his mother would try her best to let him have it.

Yet, despite how he managed to keep himself from wanting other things, this ambition of his was the only thing that he couldn't give up on. His peers had called him a fool, and the adults would just shake their heads disapprovingly, since in their minds, any respectable Nibelheim-born child should stay in their own town and work locally. They say that he was aiming for a mere dream, and that dreams would never become reality even though how much he wished so. Even before he had decided to pursue it, his target of becoming a SOLDIER had easily been labeled a subject of sheer improbability and was scorned at by all.

His mother was the only one who stood by him.

She was the one who pushed him forward to the decision to apply for SOLDIER training, and was the unmoving constant which believed in him unwaveringly. And with conviction in her reasoning, she had been able to bring Cloud out of his usual agreeable nature, and made him believe in himself and in something worth pursuing for once in his life.

And the thought itself, which he would fail to accomplish his dreams, was such a devastating notion that the mere idea scared Cloud more than any other thing imaginable. While he did try hard not to dwell on the matter, the time when he spent in the infirmary and in Zack's apartment with nothing better to do than study had actually made him think more about it. It was like the harder he evaded the thought and reassured himself, the more agitated he became.

This negative feeling that he had pent up inside him was most probably the reason why he had willingly forced himself. But when he was faced with the reality of his body being weaker than he had ever imagined, Cloud was hit with a disconcerting feeling, it felt like he had lost something important, and he became over-anxious.

Now, faced with a worried looking Zack, and his body almost trembling with exhaustion, Cloud understood how wrong he had been to succumb to his anxiety and fears. This certain revelation left a hollow space in his heart, and Cloud hung his head, looking down at the concrete floor, his breath still coming out in harsh gasps as he tried to control it, and not daring at all to look at Zack for fear of seeing disappointment in the man's eyes.

Taking note of Cloud's defeated stance, Zack understood that his protégé must be berating himself over and over again in his mind. With a small smile, he reached out and ruffled Cloud's hair, and then slung his arm across the blond's shoulders, pulling the cadet forcefully against his own body.

"You know, a lesson to being a successful SOLDIER: Always, and I mean _always_, trust your comrades." Cloud's head shot up at the soft spoken statement, and grinning, Zack continued on, "So, my dear young protégé, you should believe in what I say, although," At this, Zack tapped a finger to his chin in a contemplative manner, "you have to trust me either way, since I'm your beloved and brilliant mentor and all that. So you see, you don't really have a choice in this matter."

And then, Zack looked down, and flashed a cocky grin at Cloud.

Wide eyed, Cloud was silent for a moment, before he too smiled back at the man.

"Zack."

"Hmm?" The man replied in a non-committed manner.

"I really am sorry that I didn't stop just now…Even though I knew I should have." Cloud apologized softly.

Smiling at him, Zack declared happily, "Apology accepted." Then hooking his arm even tighter around Cloud's neck, so that they were practically trapped in a semi-hug, Zack said seriously, "And Cloud, trust me when I say this—I _do_ believe that you will become an excellent SOLDIER. Just one step at a time, okay?"

Glancing up at the side of Zack's face, and realizing that the man was not only saying it to reassure him but also because he truly believed in it, Cloud smiled and nodded. With that simple sentence, he felt a strong and gentle warmth course through his entire body, replacing the previous empty feeling gnawing away at his gut.

"Yeah, I think I can believe that." Coughing lightly to clear away the sudden lump in his throat, Cloud blinked a few times, not entirely sure that the blurriness in his eyes was due to the sweat or just tears of happiness.

Patting his head for the last time, Zack released him, and turned over to rummage through his backpack which had been left on the bench while he exercised. Pulling out Cloud's water bottle, Zack threw it over to him, "Now, drink up, it will take the edge off your exhaustion. And I do hope that you're hungry, because I'm starving like mad right now and nothing you say is going to prevent me from hauling you to the cafeteria for a large breakfast." And evaluating Cloud with a swift sweep of his eyes from top to bottom, Zack shook his head disapprovingly, "Really, you should eat more, it would probably help you grow some more."

Unscrewing the cap of his bottle, Cloud scowled at Zack's remarks. "What? I eat plenty enough, and don't even dare compare me to your atrocious eating habits and enormous appetite. Besides, my body is still growing, and the way I look now seems okay enough to me."

Zack chuckled at the indignant tone in Cloud's voice. "Well, you do seem to have a point. And if you grow to be as big as me would be a bad thing too, since I wouldn't want to lose my adorable and cuddly protégé now, right?"

Laughing softly at Zack's ridiculous logic, Cloud merely shook his head before lifting up his bottle to take in large gulps of water. Now that he was drinking, he realized that he was actually very thirsty. Letting out a small sigh of satisfaction when he was done, Cloud lowered down the bottle, and noticed that Zack was looking at him with a small smiled played across his lips.

Feeling unexpectedly refreshed, and knowing that Zack had been right again when he knew that Cloud needed a drink, the blond merely grinned back and tossed the bottle back at his mentor, in which Zack caught easily with one hand. Walking forward until he was standing next to Zack, Cloud bent over and picked up his bag, slinging it over his right shoulder.

And then, his blue eyes sparkling and alive with mischief, Cloud looked up at Zack, meeting the man's own deep blue eyes, and said seriously, "You know, I think I might have spoiled your stomach too much with all my cooking, that's why you feel hungry all the time. Hmm…I wonder, should I stop making them then? It's for your own good after all, so don't you believe you should _trust_ me in this matter?"

With that said, and a small wink thrown in for good measure, Cloud turned and walked away, aiming towards a small, one-storey building by the side where Zack had told him the toilets and shower rooms were located.

Jaw dropping at Cloud's words, Zack blinked a few times before waking up from his stupor. Grabbing his mp3 player and stuffing it in his pocket, Zack strode after Cloud, waving his water bottle as he did so.

"Hey, Cloud, you're just kidding right? You won't actually stop cooking, right?" Zack shouted, his voice almost desperate and downright worried. In front, Cloud chuckled softly, but kept on walking, dismissing what Zack had said with his silence.

Actually, Cloud was immensely glad that Zack had seen through his worries, and had helped to dispel them. And even though Cloud still didn't want to disappoint his mum and Zack, he now knew better than to force himself. With Zack's words, Cloud had regained a lost trust and belief in his own capabilities, and the prior ugly and hidden anxiousness that he harbored were all cleaned away, leaving his mind and heart unbelievably clear and light.

Cloud glanced back over at Zack—the latter was still whining like a lost puppy over his last remark while striding purposely after him. And Cloud laughed; his voice a clear ringing sound travelling through the chilly morning air and across the deserted training field.

Somehow, he had bonded even deeper with Zack, and their relationship felt even more solid and stable to Cloud, and this sense of contentment and being recognized was something which easily brought a smile to his face.

Zack had now caught up to him, and was pulling at his arm like a petulant child. "Cloouud…Promise me you won't stop cooking? I think both Genesis and I will die if you do."

Rolling his eyes, Cloud grinned happily, Zack's silliness was something that was annoying and precious at the same time.

"Fine, fine, I was just joking anyway." Cloud remarked, acting in a relenting manner.

And at the loud whoop of joy from Zack, Cloud couldn't help but laugh again.

_Well, our relationship is still as eccentric as ever though. But oh well, I wouldn't change it for the world. _Cloud mused silently, and started to join in with Zack to hum a silly and cheerful tune as they made their way to the shower rooms together.

* * *

A familiar ringtone jolted Sephiroth out of his meditative state, and eyes snapping open, the general reached into his coat pocket and pulled out his cell phone. Perfectly curved eyebrows knitted into a small frown as he noticed the caller's name, and he stared at the offending object in his palm, almost reluctant to answer the call.

Beside him, the sergeant driving the jeep hesitantly asked, "Sir, pardon me for asking, but aren't you going to answer the call?"

Nodding slowly, Sephiroth inwardly sighed before flipping up the cover and answered in a simple, "What?"

"Oh come on! Not even a single hello for your best friend? Seph, I'm so hurt right now!" Hearing the over loud whining coming from his lieutenant's voice made the silver haired man gripped the phone even tighter.

"Zack, what do you want?" asked Sephiroth with a strangely soft and calm voice.

Somehow, he had a dreadful premonition about the next thing that is about to come out of Zack's mouth, seeing how the man and Genesis had been terrorizing his phone with Zack's frequent chirpy and enthusiastic updates on how his protégé, Strife was doing; and with Genesis' smug and well-intended gloating with pictures and messages on how _wonderful_ Strife's cooking and personality is.

_Not to mention how beautiful Cloud Strife is in person too_. His mind traitorously supplied with a cheerful and dark voice accompanied by vivid mental images.

On the other end, Zack merely huffed loudly. "Why must you assume that I want something? Can't I just call because I'm such a good friend and that I want to know how you're doing?"

"Zack." Sephiroth stated in his no-nonsense tone.

However, the effect seemed to be lost on his subordinate. "Oh yeah, aren't you coming back today?" Zack asked enthusiastically, and Sephiroth could almost imagine the mock look of surprise upon the man's face.

Even though he wondered about the swift change of topic, Sephiroth decided to follow along and see what Zack was really up to. "Yes. I'm on my way back now. We were delayed slightly since we met with some monsters on the road. I trust that you _have_ been taking care of all the work?"

A non-committal "Mmm.." was all he heard, and Sephiroth had to resist the urge to groan. "Just _exactly_ how much work have you been doing?"

"Well…I could easily say perhaps seventy percent…?"

"Zack…" Sephiroth started with a dangerous edge to his voice.

"Okay, okay! Maybe nearly fifty percent then. Come on Seph, I'm no workaholic like you! I can't possibly do so much by myself anyway. But don't worry; I managed to rope in Angeal to help with the rest if that's some assurance."

"Fine. Now, are you going to tell me the real reason that you called? I trust that it's not because you wanted to tell me about your _incredible_ prowess in work." Beside him, the sergeant cast a surprised look at the general, obviously shocked that the man could be anything besides stoic.

"Ha-ha. Being sarcastic now, are you? Fine, I'll tell you why I called then."

But all Sephiroth heard was silence. "Zack?"

"Okay, okay, wait for it for Gaia's sake!" There was another small moment of pause before Zack started hesitantly, "Well, you see…There's something that I'm supposed to tell you to do, and it is all Genesis' idea by the way, so don't bite off my head when I—"

"Zack, get to the point." Cutting in swiftly, Sephiroth stopped any tirade Zack might launch into.

Another pause and Sephiroth hoped that Zack and Genesis did not have another one of their crazy ideas that they liked to rope him into.

"Fine." Zack inhaled loudly. "Genesis wanted me to tell you that you must come over to my apartment as soon as you reach Midgar since he has something that he wanted to tell you, and don't ask me what because I have absolutely no idea what he wants to say to you!"

This time, Sephiroth did sighed loudly, earning him another odd look from the sergeant beside him. "Pray tell me, why should I go to _your_ apartment for that?"

"Oh come on, what's wrong with my apartment? We always meet there anyway." Now sounding pretty offended, Zack replied indignantly.

Knowing that he had been caught with no good retaliation, Sephiroth hastily replied, "Why is Genesis going to be at your apartment again?"

"Come on Seph, I know that _you_ know that nowadays Genesis and Angeal always come over to my apartment in the evenings, all thanks to Cloud's wonderful cooking." Sephiroth knew instantly that Zack was rolling his eyes at the other end.

He never had any problem dropping into Zack's place every once in a while, and Sephiroth had a nagging suspicion that he knew why he was so reluctant this time.

And as if there was some deity who hated him above, he heard Zack exclaimed a clear, and utterly happy, "Cloud!"

Somehow, the mere syllable stirred something deep in his guts, and Sephiroth gulped instinctively.

From the other end, the suddenly nervous general could vaguely hear a youthful and somewhat weirdly melodious voice say something to Zack, and his lieutenant instantly replied: "Really? You did that for me? Yes! You're the best!"

The cadet replied, his words blurry and indistinguishable, probably because Zack was cupping over his phone, and then Zack was talking to him again, and Sephiroth felt a weird combination of disappointment and relief.

"Anyway, just drop in okay? And oh! If you're reluctant because Cloud would be here, don't be, he probably wouldn't recognize you anyway—Oh, got to go, Cloud made these _heavenly_ blueberry cheese cakes with a chocolate chip base which I absolutely love! Bye then!"

Sephiroth frowned, and was about to retort when the call ended abruptly with a small click.

Flipping the lid back down, Sephiroth stared at his cell phone, a single question left in his mind.

To go, or not to go?

* * *

Genesis picked up the plates within reach and stacked them together, all the while motioning for Zack to pick up the rest over at his side. Seeing Cloud was about to help clear out the table, the commander hastily said, "Cloud, it's alright, let us clean up today."

"But—" The blond cadet wanted to protest, but Genesis would have none of it.

"No. Think of it as my thanks for cooking up such a lovely meal for me again. Besides, you must be tired from all the training Zack gave you today, so why don't you get some rest?" With that said, Genesis flashed a gorgeous smile towards the blond.

And like all other times, his charm was once again lost on Zack's young protégé. Cloud didn't even blink as he leaned forward for the glasses on the middle of the table.

Opposite him, Zack sniggered, and Genesis cast a deadly glare upon the man. Damn it, why did Cloud have to be immune to his charms anyway?

"If I may point out, Cloud cooked for all of us, but he made the cake especially for _me_." Zack said smugly.

"Oh, so what? Do you want me to count out the times Cloud made something I requested? I'm sure I could beat you easily." Genesis retorted, a sneer on his face which surprisingly didn't marred his handsome features at all.

"Watch it. You're forgetting who Cloud's mentor is, have you? And that trumps anything else that you can dish out!" Zack stared back heatedly.

"Um…Guys…" Angeal started, knowing that things might easily get ugly from this point onwards.

Fortunately, Cloud chose this opportune moment to cut in.

"Genesis, Zack, please don't fight. I'll make both of you something that you like for next dinner, is that okay?"

Both SOLDIERs snapped their heads back to look at Cloud, the latter who was now looking at them with a pleading gaze with a decidedly adorable pout upon those lips.

Still, Cloud's blue eyes sparked with sincerity, and both males shook their heads softly. Really, Cloud probably didn't know that he was displaying such a look on his face, which made it even more dangerous for the naïve blond.

"Fine, fine. Anything you say Cloud." Picking up the rest of the dishes, Zack walked towards the kitchen while shouting over his shoulder, "You go and rest Cloud, and we'll clean up everything!"

Genesis nodded in agreement, and said, "Listen to Zack; I think he's worried that he might have overworked you."

"But I'm fine." Cloud said.

"Well, even so, go sit down on the couch and read something while we clean up. It would make Zack happier." Genesis persuaded, ignoring the pointed look from Angeal which stated how he thought about Genesis using such an under-handed excuse.

But however sly the excuse might be, it certainly did the job. Now looking a bit guilty, Cloud hesitantly nodded, "Okay then. If you guys need any help just call for me, okay?"

"Yes, yes, we will. Now hand over those glasses to Angeal, and just go to rest."

Handing over the glasses, and making sure that they were balanced just right, Cloud cast one last glance and made his way to the living room.

After making sure that the cadet was seated and engrossed in a book, Genesis hurried into the kitchen, jerking his head for Angeal to follow him quickly.

Dumping both their loads into the basin, Genesis turned around and leaned against the counter, facing the entranceway directly. Angeal leaned against the refrigerator beside him while Zack, after looking back suspiciously to make sure that Cloud isn't anywhere in the vicinity, crossed his arms and stood in front of Genesis.

"So, how did the day's training went?" Angeal asked seriously.

Thinking for a moment, Zack replied, "It was surprisingly smooth. Although, Cloud did overexerted his body during the morning exercises, but he recovered after breakfast. Then, I took him to a training hall and taught him swordsmanship. He is actually pretty good with a sword, which is slightly surprising."

Genesis ran his hand through his red hair, and said, "Well, he does have a pretty slender and smaller frame, which makes it easier for him to handle the intricate footwork required in swordplay."

"Yeah, that's what I noticed too. And guess what, he seems to carry himself better with a _heavier_ sword." Zack said pointedly.

"Really? Now that's surprising. I wouldn't have guessed. I figured that he would be more of a long sword type, probably like Sephiroth." Genesis mused.

At this, Zack's eyes flickered, and a quick look of anger crossed his face. Both the commanders caught it though. "Actually, I thought the same too. I asked him about it, you know, about why he seemed better at wielding heavier weapons, and he told me that he used to be bullied in his hometown, and the kids would corner him into the mountains, leaving him no option but to pick up branches to fend himself. That's why he's so used to heavier items in his hands; he's practically had hands-on training since he was little."

A thick and heavy coat of silence fell upon them, and after a moment, Angeal finally spoke up, "That's some tough experience. How did he respond when you asked?"

Zack shrugged, "That's the thing, he actually told me openly, with an entirely accepting tone and manner. Never once did he show any negative emotions."

"Isn't that a good thing though?" Genesis asked.

"It's good that he is able to come to terms with his own history, and this shows that he's strong enough to make it through harsh experiences. But Gen, until now he couldn't even tell me about the bullying, not a single word about how he got those injuries and who did them, and it just makes me mad at wondering what exactly happened that he couldn't even get past it!" Zack exclaimed heatedly.

"Shhh!" Genesis hissed fiercely. "Calm down, do you want to bring Cloud in here with your yelling?" After Zack took a deep breath and looked calmer, Genesis continued, "I don't like it either, but aren't you the one who decided not to push him?"

Angeal nodded, "Gen's right, give the boy some more time, pup, he'll tell you when he wants to, and that's for sure."

"I know that, I just can't stand the knowledge of him being hurt intentionally, and he seems to be the kind who is too independent for his own good, which is a stubborn trait which oddly reminds me of Seph." Zack remarked exasperatedly.

"It'll be fine, Zack. Now, are you saying that you think Cloud might be able to wield a Buster Sword? Just like you and me?" Angeal asked while patting Zack's shoulder to comfort his former protégé.

At the question, Zack visibly perked up. "Well, yeah. I seriously think that he might be able to pull it off, despite his size and all."

"Well, don't be too certain first, for all you know he might be even more compatible with other weapons in the end, just train him well in the meantime." Angeal firmly suggested.

Nodding, Zack continued on with his narrative. "We trained until lunch, and then I decided to teach him some useful hand-to-hand combat moves. I started with a few simple defensive and offensive gestures, figured that it would help with the bullying and all. I had originally wanted to teach him on materia wielding, since it would put less strain on his body, but to do that I've got to use a materia training hall, and well, I didn't want to risk Cloud meeting any of his peers yet, so we just mainly trained in the halls reserved especially for us SOLDIERs."

"I agree with that choice. To handle materia one needs serious concentration and control, especially for a mere cadet, it could actually prove to be even more strenuous than imagined." Genesis commented softly.

"But still, how's his overall performance?" Angeal asked.

Zack rolled his eyes, "I knew you would ask that, and I must honestly say that it definitely looks promising. He did surprisingly well, given the state of his body, and even managed to hold off a few of my harsher blows during sword practice. His strength is still noticeably lacking though. But for what he lacks in strength, he compensates pretty well with his speed."

Angeal nodded, "That's good to hear, just don't push him too hard."

Zack scowled. "It's Cloud you should be saying it to though. Seriously, he could be too focused at times and forget about his condition entirely."

Genesis laughed, while Angeal chuckled softly. It was just like Cloud to do something worrying without even noticing it.

Suddenly glancing at his watch, Genesis frowned. "Guess our plan didn't work then. It's almost nine. He doesn't seem to be coming."

Zack shook his head, eyes sparkling mischievously and a small smirk set on his face. "Oh, he will come. How could he resist the perfect reason to finally meet Cloud in person? I think he's just delayed. When I called him, he was still on his way back, probably haven't even reach Midgar yet."

Genesis flashed a devilish grin back at Zack, "You're right. This is the perfect reason isn't it? And he must be feeling loads of pent-up frustration by now, judging by the amount of things we sent him."

Sharing a knowing look, both of them laughed evilly.

Angeal shook his head in disbelief, sighing at their childish antics, even though a small part of him also wanted to see how Sephiroth would react.

"Really, both of you are so screwed when he finds out that you guys have been plotting behind his back—"Angeal muttered, only to stop mid-sentence at the tell tale click of the door handle being pushed.

Zack and Genesis stopped too, their sensitized hearing picking up on the sound clearly. There was then a small pause as the three of them glanced at one another, before they moved simultaneously and rushed out of the kitchen.

The sight that greeted them in the living room was definitely not what they had expected.

Somehow, it seems that despite their devilish planning, one of the key characters in their thought out play had decided to fall asleep on the couch, a mop of blond hair rested on a pillow as his body stretched out across the whole couch. Cloud's legs dangled over the other side of the couch's arm and a book laid spread open on his stomach, still clutched tightly by his right hand.

On his face was a look of utter serenity as he slept soundly, his breathing quiet and calm, and every so often, those long eyelashes would flutter gently against smooth, pale skin, mapping out an intricately tranquil and beautiful picture in Zack's untidy living room.

And towering over him and looking right down at Cloud's sleeping face was none other than the general himself.

Sephiroth's silver hair fell down in cascades over his shoulders as he leant forward to observe the sleeping cadet, and when the three of them came into a room, the man lifted his head slowly, an impenetrable look on his face as he raised a long, slender finger up to his lips in a motion to ask the three of them to be quiet.

And as if entranced by a spell, Genesis, Zack and Angeal complied, moving with practiced stealth and grace as they silently made their way into the living area, and while Zack moved to stand beside Sephiroth, Genesis and Angeal stood behind the couch, making it so that Cloud is surrounded by the four of them.

Yet, oblivious to the fact that he was literally surrounded by four of the world's strongest and most powerful men, Cloud slept on peacefully, unaware that four pair of eyes were staring at him in silent fascination.

Finally, it was Zack who broke the silence. "Glad to see that you came, Seph. I trust you met my protégé?" He whispered with a small, fond smile as he gestured forward at the sleeping blond.

"Indeed." Sephiroth replied, and although it wasn't a whisper, the man's voice was unexpectedly soft, quiet and gentle, causing his three friends' eyes to widen. It was a tone that they had never heard before from the man, mainly because of the obvious warmth in his voice.

Genesis cocked his head and leaning down as if to take a better look at Cloud, asked softly, "So, what shall we do?" He then looked up, meeting Sephiroth directly in the eyes, and was pleasantly surprised to discover that those silver orbs now held a lot more warmth and was practically swirling with emotions. Guessed he and Zack really needn't do much, as it was plain to see that Cloud seems to have easily triggered something within Sephiroth.

_Hm, guess Cloud really has an effect on all of us, and he isn't even awake to work his magic on Sephiroth! _Genesis resisted the urge to grin—if this was the effect Cloud had over Sephiroth when he is practically unconscious, it would definitely be something to watch when they interact while Cloud is wide awake.

Straightening up, Genesis caught Zack's gaze and shared a fleeting look.

Clearing his throat gently, Zack spoke up, "Seph, would you mind taking Cloud back to his room? It's the one at the end of the hallway."

Sephiroth turned and gave him a stern gaze. The man looked as stoic as ever, but Zack could tell from the firm set of his mouth and his eyes that the general was genuinely surprised.

_Ha! Bet you didn't see that one coming! _Zack gloated in his mind, but maintained a worried and caring look on the outside. "Don't look at me like that, we all still have to clean up the table and dishes, and when we do, the noise might wake him up. Now, you take him back to his room, while the three of us do the dishes, okay?"

Sephiroth seemed like he was about to protest, but just then, Cloud moaned softly, turning slightly on the couch. Instantly, the four of them stilled, and after they were certain Cloud had gone back to sleep again, Zack whispered hurriedly, "Just do it!"

Sephiroth cast a glance down at Cloud, not even bothering to disguise the faint look of trepidation on his face. With an almost inaudible sigh, the silver haired man bent down on one knee, and taking Cloud's hand with shocking tenderness, gently pried away the book from under it. After setting it down on the coffee table, Sephiroth slowly snaked an arm under Cloud's knees even as another went to cradle his shoulder and head.

On the side, the two commanders and Zack watched on with bated breath.

And in a swift, yet still careful motion, Sephiroth picked Cloud up from the couch effortlessly, silver eyebrows creasing into a slight frown as the man noticed how light the person in his arms was. Cloud made a small voice and turned his head, virtually snuggling into the man's leather coat.

Zack couldn't help but giggle at this, which earned him a hard stare from Sephiroth.

Then, with a turn, he moved towards the hallway; the limp figure of Cloud's sleeping form practically cradled against his chest in a firm and gentle manner.

Finally getting a hold of himself, Zack coughed again and wiped away the tears of mirth from his eyes. "Well, I daresay that our dear general is rather taken by my cute protégé. Gaia, could Cloud look even more innocently delectable than that?"

Genesis snorted. "Rather taken you say? Did you _see_ the way Sephiroth carried him, it totally screamed possessiveness!"

And surprisingly, the usually silent Angeal joined in, "I do believe that Genesis has a point."

Then sharing a look, Zack and Genesis promptly burst out into stifled laughter, and this time, even the normally serious Angeal chuckled along happily.

Gaia, would they definitely forever remember this particular scene for the rest of their lives!

~End Chapter~

~Omake~

Sephiroth padded softly down the hallway, being extremely careful so as to not make too many large movements for fear of waking up the figure in his arms. Reaching Cloud's room, Sephiroth adjusted Cloud's position slightly so that he was supporting the blond on one hand with Cloud's face now buried into the crook of his neck, and Sephiroth felt a small shiver run down his spine as he felt Cloud's steady, hot breath ghosting over the surface of his skin.

Taking in a small breath, Sephiroth opened the door with his free hand, and swiftly carried Cloud into his room. Crossing his way over until he stood beside the bed, Sephiroth was alarmed to realize that he didn't want the blond to leave his arms.

Finally looking down, Sephiroth drank in every detail of Cloud's face and figure like a parched man lost on a scorching desert.

He honestly didn't expect that his first meeting with Zack's protégé would be like this, but then again, he should have suspected that the blond would not make it easy for him with everything that he had heard from his friends. Somehow, this gave him a strange feeling of fondness for Cloud, and Sephiroth smiled softly.

Cloud Strife might not have planned out to sleep on the night that Sephiroth finally decided to meet him, but the unpredictability that he experienced now was enough to piqued Sephiroth's interest even more. Much more so now that he could feel the warmth of Cloud's body against his, and the general once again wondered what it was about this particular cadet which makes him special.

With much reluctance, Sephiroth lifted the covers and gently put Cloud onto his bed. He then pulled up the comforter, making sure to cover Cloud completely. But while his hands were moving, never once did Sephiroth take his eyes off Cloud's face.

Engrossed in what he saw, Sephiroth reached forward and gently brushed away a few strands of blond hair on Cloud's forehead, and the man felt a deep sense of satisfaction in discovering that the cadet's hair really was as soft as it looked.

If the Cloud he saw in the picture was one of untamable and wild beauty, the one he witness now was one of an ethereal and magnetic allure. But even so, in both cases, Sephiroth could vividly feel the pure and innocent aura which seems to surround Cloud, and he couldn't help but be strangely intoxicated by it.

Raising his hand again, Sephiroth gently ran a finger down Cloud's smooth cheek, and beneath him, Cloud instinctively leaned into Sephiroth's touch, a soft whimper escaping those full and rosy lips.

As though waken from a trance, Sephiroth pulled back his hand as if he was scorched, and with a last lingering look upon the slumbering figure, he turned and walked out of the room, his coat making a soft brushing sound as he did so.

Closing the door with equal gentleness, Sephiroth leaned against it and closed his eyes, rethinking and savoring the moment of having Cloud in his arms.

_Cloud Strife, you really are as beautiful as I had imagined, but what is with these emotions that I keep feeling around you? And yet we both remain strangers to the other…_

Eyes snapping open, Sephiroth pushed himself off the door and walked back towards the living room, his face now pulled back into a perfectly composed state.

…_Well, perhaps not for long though. _

~End Omake~

A/N: Finally, finally an update…! And Seph gets to meet Cloud in this chapter~(even though Cloud doesn't know it yet…O_O) Anyway, hope you guys like this chapter~! It is 2 a.m in the morning my time now, and my head is positively killing me…So I must go and rest, until next time then~! XD

Again, please read and review! They totally make my day~ And thanks again for all those wonderful people who kept reviewing and also to those who added me their alerts and faves~! I couldn't be more grateful~!


	8. Chapter 8

Sky Metamorphosis

A/N: Sorry for not updating for so long, Uni life just caught up with me…But now that it's the holiday, I'll be updating more frequently, and the next chapter is already half way done. Anyway, hope you guys liked this chapter!

Disclaimer: It should have been mine, damn it! But I lost the bidding war of the rights on eBay! *wails unhappily*

Chapter 8

The loud and obnoxious ring of the alarm clock disturbed the silent atmosphere in the room. The figure previously slumbering on the bed and ensconced within the warmth and comfort of his blankets stirred as he woke up, and a hand reached out and slammed down on the alarm clock, effectively cutting away the noise. A small yawn was heard, before a head of blond, spiky hair peeked out from beneath the blankets. Sitting up groggily, Cloud rubbed at his eyes, stifling another yawn as he did so. Glancing at the alarm clock, he took note of the time and stretched languidly, and then he shook his head to clear his mind and get rid of any remnants of sleep. His hair was even messier than ever, jutting out on all kinds of weird angles and framing his face in a rather haphazard manner, but Cloud took no notice of it, only running his hands through it and made it even more chaotic as he got out of bed.

Making his way silently to the bathroom, Cloud washed his face and then proceeded to brush his teeth in a sluggish manner. Rinsing out the minty foam from his mouth, Cloud splashed his face with the cold water once more, and leaned against the sink as the water dripped down, savoring the way the coldness seem to be able to send prickles of awareness through his skin and make him more alert.

A sudden fleeting memory of warmth and gentle strong hands flitted through his mind, and Cloud blinked, his blue eyes hazy as he tried to seek out the memory once more. But it evaded him this time, and the more he tried to recall, the more his mind became blurred and heavy. Even though he could not remember the specific memory, Cloud did remember the feelings that were evoked within him—a sense of safety and calming warmth. It stirred a fuzzy feeling in the pits of his stomach.

Shaking his head, Cloud took up his towel and dried his face, walking out of the bathroom when he was done. He went to the kitchen next, and whipped up a steaming mug of hot, creamy chocolate and also brewed a pot of black coffee while he was at it.

He settled himself down at the dining table, shifting slightly in one of the chairs until he found a comfortable position, and then took up the mug with both of his hands, welcoming the heat that transferred to his palms. Taking a long sip of the scalding drink, he sighed contentedly as he felt the liquid trickling down his throat and pooling into his stomach, spreading a tingling and warm sensation around his belly. Enjoying the feeling, Cloud closed his eyes and took a second mouthful of his drink, a small smile playing at his lips.

It was only when Cloud drank about a half of his chocolate that Zack tumbled into the room. Cloud watched, his blue eyes sparking with amusement over the rim of his mug, as Zack bumped into various odd objects and wobbled dazedly before managing to make his way to the dining table and plopped himself down on the seat opposite Cloud's. Head slamming onto the table, Zack waved his right hand weakly at the blond. Understanding, Cloud smirked and took up the jug of coffee and poured his mentor a brimming cup before pushing it towards the man. Fingers clenched around the cup firmly, and Zack straightened in his seat and tilted his head backwards as he gulped down the whole cup of purely black coffee in a single breath. Slamming the empty cup back down on the table, Zack closed his eyes, seemingly entering into a comatose state as he remained that way. Cloud smiled at his mentor's odd behavior as he continued drinking his chocolate.

After a few minutes, Zack opened his eyes and blinked. The transformation was instantaneous as the obvious alertness crept into the man's eyes and body. His body seemed to unfold into its usual posture, the previous sluggish form gone without a trace. Knowing that Zack was now fully awake, Cloud poured him another cup of coffee, and watched on as Zack proceeded to dump obscenely large amounts of sugar and cream into it. It was not only the coffee itself which was different this time. Instead of drinking it down in one go as what he had done earlier, Zack leaned back against the back of the chair and cradled the cup in the same manner as Cloud, taking small sips of his own drink, obviously wanting it to last.

Cloud giggled. He had noticed Zack's behavior during the mornings in his first week living with the man. Zack always needed two cups of coffee to start his day. One which was plain black coffee, drank in one go to wake him up; and the other impossibly sweet and milky, savored slowly until it was finished. Without both, Zack couldn't start functioning well at all, and Cloud, who was always the one who woke up early, had taken on the task of preparing the coffee every morning. The first time he had done so, Zack had very literally hugged him in pure joy when he woke up to find the coffee prepared, and Cloud had taken on the task since then.

Lifting his mug, Cloud downed the rest of his chocolate in one go. He didn't want to drink the chocolate when it had turned cold, so he opted to finish it off while it was still warm.

Suddenly, the vague memory of being carried and cradled along with the feeling of strong arms and hands surfaced in Cloud's mind, along with the sensation of small, tickling brushes across his cheek. And just like before, the memory faded so quickly that it left Cloud disoriented for a moment. Tilting his head, a small frown marred his features as he tried again to recall the exact details of the memory. But like before, his mind was unhelpfully closed off and blank, leaving Cloud wondering if the memory was maybe just a figment of his imagination.

Confusion obvious in his face, he turned to Zack. "Hey, Zack, can I ask you something?"

Taking a languid sip of his coffee, Zack nodded in reply.

"Er...Did Genesis carried me back to my room last night?"

Hearing the question, Zack almost choked on his drink. Setting the mug down and clearing his throat, Zack put on a mask of careful interest as he asked: "Now, what makes you say that?"

Cloud tilted his head, a subconscious gesture that the blond liked to do when he was thinking, and replied hesitantly: "Well...The last thing I remembered was trying to read up on the uses of different levels of Cure Materia on the sofa, so I guessed I must have fallen asleep there. And since I woke up this morning in my bed that means someone must have taken me back there right?"

Zack nodded. "Yeah, _someone_ did take you back to your room, but why did you ask if it was Genesis?" It was almost impossible to keep the smug grin off of his face, but Zack managed to control himself just in time to let his lips form into an amused smile.

Cloud averted his eyes. "Well, I think I was probably half conscious when he carried me back to my room yesterday, so I sort of remembered the feeling of soft hair brushing against my face. Genesis is the only one with hair long enough."

Zack almost rubbed his hands in glee. It was good that Cloud seemed to recall some tiny pieces of what happen last night, which meant that his plan wasn't really a total failure. But still wanting to know more, Zack casually asked: "Oh? And what more do you remember?"

This time, a delicate blush formed across Cloud's cheek. At the sight, Inner Zack gave a loud whoop and performed cartwheels in circles.

"Um...I couldn't remember everything, just things like how I was carried in a pair of strong arms and um...Feelings and such...I sort of felt very warm and safe..." Cloud trailed off in the end, embarrassed to be talking about such things.

Zack really did smirk this time. "Ooh...Warm and safe? But unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how you see it, Genesis wasn't the one who carried you back to your room last night."

Cloud's eyes widened. "It wasn't Genesis? Then was it you? Oh Gaia, sorry for thinking it was Gen, my memory's very hazy, but I'm still grateful that you—"

Zack waved his hand impatiently to shut Cloud up; he was chuckling by now, just itching to see what Cloud's reaction would be when he knew who really carried him so _tenderly_ back to his room.

"Don't apologize, it wasn't me either. And before you say it, I'll be nice and tell you that it wasn't Angeal too."

Cloud blinked. "What do you mean?" A sudden horrified look of comprehension crossed his face. "Oh God! I sleepwalked, didn't I? I sleepwalked back to my room?"

Zack couldn't help it, he burst out laughing, clutching to his sides as he took in choked gasps of air. Cloud looked positively horror-stricken, obviously thinking that he had really sleepwalked back to his room.

Zack waved his hand around, "No, no, no... You didn't sleepwalk back to your room...!" Zack managed to clarify amidst his laughter. Cloud raised his eyebrows.

"What? Then, pray tell, how did I get to my room?" Cloud demanded, a small frown and a small pout completing the look of a petulant child, and Zack reached out and ruffled his hair, giggling slightly as he did so.

"Well...It was Sephiroth." Zack said firmly, his eyes twinkling madly in excitement at the prospect of seeing Cloud's reaction.

But Cloud only cocked his head, and muttered a bewildered: "What...Who?"

Zack blinked. He knew that Cloud knew of Sephiroth, so perhaps his protégé had heard wrongly? "It was Sephiroth who brought you back to your room."

Cloud blinked.

Zack huffed in exasperation. "You know him! Sephiroth—The powerful and mighty General of Shinra, my sort-of boss and friend, the man which was named once again as the world's most sexiest man alive for the third year in a row! _That_ Sephiroth!"

Cloud looked at him, eyes wide, and the next moment, started laughing. Zack stared on, perplexed at Cloud's behaviour. Surely the blond couldn't be so indifferent to the fact that he was carried back to his room by _the_ General, of all people?

"Oh Zack, that was a good one! The general? You've nearly got me there!" Cloud giggled, certain that his mentor was having him on and was merely joking.

But one look at Zack's face had Cloud ceasing his laughter immediately.

Impossibly clear blue eyes widened in disbelief. "You've got to be _joking..._General Sephiroth was the one who had to—had to _carry_ me back to my room?" Zack nodded firmly.

Cloud suddenly groaned, and buried his head in his arms on the table. After a moment, Cloud's muffled, yet distinctly embarrassed voice could be heard. "Tell me it's just a joke, Zack..."

"Afraid not. Sephiroth really did came by yesterday, and he was the one who took you back to your room. You can ask Gen or Angeal, but the truth remains that it really happened."

Cloud gave a low and drawn out groan. Shaking his head haphazardly with his face still buried, he mumbled: "I feel like dying."

Zack chuckled. "Oh, come on. It can't be that bad. Lots of people would kill for the chance for the General himself to carry them in his strong, masculine arms."

Cloud looked up. His eyes were glinting ominously in a darker shade of blue. Zack was suddenly reminded of a spitting and clawing fluffy kitten.

"You're so enjoying this aren't you?" It wasn't a question.

Zack shrugged. "What can I say, you, my dear protégé, provides such excellent amusement!"

Cloud rolled his eyes. "Why didn't any of you guys took me back to my room? It would be far less embarrassing...And I'm not even the swooning-fan-type which would murder for the chance to be _touched_ by the general...Oh god, that came out wrong didn't it?" Cloud gave another groan, and apparently deciding against speaking any longer, he plopped his head down onto the table with a resounding thud.

Zack stifled a laugh, even if his mind thought that it was exactly because Cloud didn't fawn over Sephiroth which made him the perfect candidate as the person that Sephiroth needed.

"Well, if it helps, Seph doesn't seem to mind that he had to be the one to carry you." _He actually seemed to enjoy it, _Zack added in his mind. Reaching over the table, Zack patted Cloud on the back in a half hearted attempt to console his protégé, even though a major part of him just wanted to bend over and cackle madly with laughter.

Instead of responding, Cloud just let out another anguish groan from his current position.

Now frowning at Cloud's over-the-top but obviously distressed reaction, Zack cradled his almost empty cup of coffee and patted Cloud softly on his head, carding his fingers through unruly yet silky soft blond hair.

"You weren't this stressed over not recognizing Angeal and Gen, and you mistook them for delivery boys, for Gaia's sake! So what's this sudden drama over Sephiroth carrying you? You weren't even awake, and that shouldn't be embarrassing at all, right?"

Cloud looked up then, his face scrunched into an odd display as he replied: "It's the _principle_ of the thing, Zack. I've never even met the man, just heard so many great stories about him, and the fact that he had actually agreed to doing such a menial task as carrying a sleeping cadet back to his room just makes me sort of mortified at myself for falling asleep and—and _embarrassed_ and _awed_ at the same time alright!" He blurted out the last part quickly, his words almost a blur if Zack hadn't had such keen hearing.

With that sudden outburst, Cloud smacked his palm on his face, and his cheeks flushed a deep red as he continued on, in a softer tone this time. "I don't even know what I'm feeling right now or why I'm so freaking out over this…Just, you know, I never expected that I would be meeting the general like this!" Waving his hand around dismissively now, Cloud took in a deep breath and let it all out in a single drawn out sigh. Now looking considerably calmer, Cloud let out a sudden snort and his lips curled in a self-deprecating smile.

"Well, at least now when I really meet the man I should be totally fine and prepared, seeing that he's seen me in a much, _much_ more embarrassing situation! To think that this actually gives me some sort of twisted courage!" Cloud let out a small, pitchy giggle at the end.

Zack blinked and stared at him, then stated calmly: "You sure you aren't bipolar or psychotic, Cloud? 'Cause you change moods quicker than a hormonal, pregnant woman."

Cloud fixed him with a stare, and smiled the sweetest, most innocent smile imaginable, but Zack could see the sharp, sinister curve at the edge of his lush lips, and he wondered if he should stop Genesis from hanging around Cloud so much, as the man was _clearly_ a bad influence.

But his trailing thoughts were brought back to reality as Cloud replied: "Oh dear Zack! Of course not, I'm just still positively _high_ on the fact that the great, handsome and _fit _General Sephiroth bridal carried me like a _lovely gal_ all the way back to my room last night! It just makes my heart _sing_ with pleasure at the thought, don't you agree? I'm not the least bit mortified, no, not indeed."

They stared at each other for a moment longer before both of them promptly collapse in fits of giggles and laughter.

Clutching his side while giggling helplessly, Cloud asked: "Remind me why we are laughing again?"

Zack chuckled and shook his head, "Don't know, probably because how you freaked out and it was god damn hilarious?"

"You're right. I shouldn't be freaking out. So what if it's the General, right? Remind me to thank him if I do meet him again though." Cloud replied. He had now ceased laughing like a maniac but his eyes were wild and bright with amusement.

"I'll keep that in mind. But he should be the one to thank you though."

Cloud cocked his head, "Why?"

Zack grinned evilly. "Well, it's not every day that he gets to help such a fragile, helpless, slumbering cadet now is it? And the way you positively _snuggled_ up to his chest when he picked you up is just so _adorable_, and Sephiroth does seem to like it very much…"

Zack's only answer was Cloud's flushed and embarrassed face as a heavy and solid mug was hurled towards the general direction of his head.

* * *

The door to Sephiroth's office creaked open, and in walked Zack as he gave a happy and overly enthusiastic greeting to all three of his friends seated around Sephiroth's desk. Angeal grunted in response, Genesis quirked an eyebrow and waved, while Sephiroth didn't even look up from his stack of paper as he said: "Finally decided to come in, Zack?"

Zack merely shrugged and pulled up a third chair alongside Genesis and Angeal and plopped down onto it with a grateful sigh.

"Damn, this mentoring business is more exhausting than I imagine. But at least Cloud makes all of it so much worthwhile!"

Genesis smirked. "Are you sure you aren't the one exhausting Cloud with your puppy-like over exuberant personality?"

"Hey, I detest that!" Zack scowled.

"So, how did today's training went?" Angeal asked, his hand flipping through a stack of papers in front of him.

"It went quite well, actually. I'm pleased to say that he didn't overexert himself during the morning workout today, but in fact, managed to actually make 35 rounds before stopping, which is seven more than what he could achieve yesterday. His body is fully recovered, and seeing that he wasn't actually in a bad shape before, he does seem to be picking up things rather quickly. We decided on sword training again, and man, he really does pick up the moves quickly!" Zack gushed with a proud smile on his face.

Angeal and Genesis smiled at Zack's apparent joy, while Sephiroth remained as impassive as ever as he continued to flip through the file on hand. However, all three of them knew that the General was in fact listening intently, as he had been 'reading' through that same document ever since Zack walked in, and had flipped it through thrice already.

Leaning back into his chair, Zack continued on with his report on Cloud's training. "I taught him another few handy and basic sword maneuvers that you showed me before, Angeal, and by the end of the session, he can already execute the whole sequence almost perfectly using the standard Shinra broadsword."

Angeal placed his stamp and signature on the bottom of a document before replying Zack. "You mean the Heimlich style sequence? Cloud managed to get it down in just a two hour session?"

Zack nodded, grinning widely. Genesis just gave a low whistle of amazement.

Angeal gave a low grunt of approval. "It's one of the most basic sword styles, and yet the steps and motions are complicated, because once you get a handle of it, you can basically master all the other different styles available. For Cloud to do it in two hours, that's actually pretty brilliant."

"It is, isn't it? Normally the average person will need nearly three to four sessions before they can get it down, and even for me it took nearly an hour and a half, and that was with Angeal threatening to make me run two hundred laps around the whole Shinra compound." Zack shivered visibly at the memory, while Angeal just hummed under his breath, muttering a gruff: "Well, it worked, didn't it?"

Throwing an evil side glance at his mentor, Zack just huffed indignantly before returning back to the topic at hand. "It's funny, I don't even think Cloud knew how difficult the sequence was, seeing that a cadet is normally only asked to try it out near the end of their third stage of enrolment, and Cloud's just barely through the second stage as it is. I just thought it would be fun for him to try it and see, and I didn't expect that he would actually get it."

"Seems like Cloud might be better than what he seems." Genesis mused softly.

"Well, I did tell you guys that he had potential." Zack retorted, "In fact, I reckoned that if it wasn't for the repeated injuries, he might have actually been in the top of his class, and might have even gotten noticed and taken as a protégé a lot sooner." At this Zack's face visibly darkened, with Angeal and Genesis having on mirroring expressions, as they had in fact, both grew to be rather taken by the blond cadet after spending so much time with him. Even Sephiroth stopped pretending to be looking through his paperwork and glanced up.

"After the sword training, I had originally wanted to train him in utilizing materia, but just the mere mention of it had him paling, and he looked so shaken that I changed it into hand-to-hand combat instead." Zack mused, a bitter edge to his tone now.

Pushing aside the files, Sephiroth crossed his fingers and propped them under his chin. "He still hasn't told you anything about what happened to him?"

Zack shook his head morosely. "No. I tried bringing it up the other day, but he just clamped down. He obviously still can't bring himself to even speak about it, and I can't ask him to talk if he isn't ready for it." Suddenly bringing his fist down and slamming it onto the table, Zack shouted, "Damn it! Is there nothing we can do? We already know what happened, most of it anyway, so why can't we just go ahead and punish all those bastards who did such a thing to Cloud?"

"Zack, you know it doesn't work that way. There are protocols that we need to follow, and without the victim's own confirmation of the fact that he was in fact, harmed in purpose due to malicious and private intents, and actually decides to file a formal complaint, then our hands are tied." Sephiroth replied, his tone deceitfully calm but his brows were furrowed ever so slightly, showing his displease over this particular fact.

"Oh, screw the protocols!" Zack shouted agitatedly.

Genesis leaned forward and placed a hand on his shoulder, trying to calm the man down. "Zack, as much as I hate to say this, Sephiroth is right, we can't just bend the rules to our liking, however much we wished for it to be so. We have to think about our responsibilities as leaders, and even if you don't care much for this, then think about how such favoritism would reflect onto Cloud. It could actually damage his future if we don't go about this correctly."

Zack gave out a strangled groan. Shrugging off Genesis' hand, he stood and started to pace about, frustration visible in his every movement. He knew that both Genesis and Sephiroth were correct, but recognition of the fact doesn't actually help him relieve any of his agitation.

"Pup, just calm down. Give Cloud some more time, he will come about eventually. And cool your head, you being hot headed doesn't help matters at all, understand? Just continue looking after and mentoring Cloud, that's what you can do at the time being." Angeal said, grabbing onto Zack and stilling his incessant pacing.

Staring into his mentor's eyes for a long moment, Zack finally sighed and deflated like a balloon, the tension leaving his shoulders. Letting him go, Angeal watched as his protégé nodded and made his way back to his chair, before plopping down unceremoniously onto it.

After a moment of tense silence, Zack mumbled out: "This sucks."

Genesis snorted. "Yes it does. Really, pointing out the obvious is just what you would do, Zachary."

"Oh, fuck off." Zack snapped back, but there was now a small curve at the end of his lips as he struggled to contain a smile.

Genesis just flipped him the finger as Zack's laughter rang out in Sephiroth's office. Angeal snorted in amusement at their antics and even Sephiroth shook his head in an almost fond manner.

Feeling better and considerably calmer, Zack reached out and took a file from Sephiroth's desk, flipping it through and reading the report before signing an approval in the end. Snapping the file shut, he placed it onto Sephiroth's 'Done' pile, and took another.

The four of them worked silently for some time, before Zack remembered.

"Oh yeah, Cloud told me to invite all of you to dinner tonight. Gen, he's making that spicy fish fillet you liked so much, and Angeal, Cloud says to tell you that he's also making dessert for you tonight, apparently it's something that you mentioned that you wanted to eat before."

Genesis rubbed his hand in glee, and even the usually gruff-looking and stern Angeal broke out into a rare smile. "The kid said that? It must be the raspberry filled dark chocolate soufflé that I said I saw in a recipe and wanted to try out but never had a chance to." Angeal thought for a moment. "Or is it the apple pie that Cloud has his own homemade recipe for?"

Zack shrugged. "I don't know, he didn't tell me anything. So your guess is as good as mine."

Angeal gave a low "Hmm…" his eyebrows scrunched up in serious thought.

"And Seph, is there anything that you don't like to eat or anything that you want to eat in particular? Cloud says that to tell him in advance and he'll see if he can whip up something for you. God, just thinking about the cheesy potato patties he promised me is already making me hungry!" Zack rubbed at his stomach and looked at his watch, noting with disappointment that it was only five thirty and they had another one and a half hours before Cloud's designated dinner time.

And this made him miss the look of surprise forming on Sephiroth's face.

"What?" Sephiroth managed to ask, not quite believing what he had just heard.

Zack looked at him, and almost laughed aloud at his friend's perplexed expression.

"Why are you looking so shock for? Didn't I say that Cloud invited all of you guys for dinner? And that includes you, Seph."

Sephiroth blinked. For once, his stoic mask had slipped and it was easy to see the confusion swirling in his eyes.

"I don't understand. Why would Cloud invite me to dinner?" Genesis stifled a giggle at Sephiroth's answer. It seems that the general himself hasn't realized that he had called Cloud using his given name and not the usual family name.

Zack grinned, his face lighting up with mischief, and replied, "Well, I guess that might have something to do with the fact that Cloud might want to thank you for being _so_ kind and helping him back to his room last night."

Sephiroth was utterly taken aback by this information, because he didn't think that Cloud would know as he was supposed to be fast asleep. But apparently, it wasn't so. Somehow, he actually felt embarrassed at the fact that Cloud _knew_ he was the one who carried him back to his room, and the feeling was so foreign that he didn't realize what it was until Genesis gave an evil chuckle and exclaimed: "Seph, are you actually _blushing_?"

"No." Was his sharp and terse response as he schooled his expression and tried to calm down. It was unlike him to be flustered over anything, and surely he must have imagined the way that his heart seemed to have skipped a beat upon hearing Zack's answer?

Ignoring both Genesis and Zack's smug grins, Sephiroth cleared his throat and pulled another file in front of him, hoping to sound more nonchalant as he asked: "So, he remembered then? Everything?"

"Not really. He remembered someone carrying him back to his room, but didn't know who it was, so I told him." Zack replied, still having on that insufferable smug look on his face.

"And how was Cloud's reaction after knowing that it was Sephiroth who carried him back?" Genesis asked eagerly.

"Well, he thought I was joking at first, but after realizing that it was true he became mortified." Zack chuckled at the memory of Cloud's scandalized expression.

"Mortified? Not tripping over his feet in awe and _swooning _about the fact that the Great General had been the one to carry him?" Genesis asked, and Sephiroth scowled as if he can almost visualize the capital letters in which Genesis had been talking in.

"Nope, like what I said before, Cloud isn't really a crazed fan of Seph's, and I think he was only embarrassed because he thought that he had inconvenienced Sephiroth by needing a general like him to tend to a mere cadet. Funny just how all of our charm and appeal seemed to disappear around him, don't you think?" Zack threw a pointed look at Sephiroth, and Genesis nodded along with a faint frown on his face, obviously remembering the numerous _failed_ attempts that he have tried to charm Cloud.

All three of his comrades were now looking intently at him now, and Sephiroth can't help but feel as though he was being scrutinized like a specimen under the microscope. He wisely chose to remain silent while he thought up of a way to divert the attention away from him.

This dinner was actually the perfect chance to finally meet and speak with Cloud, and the thought itself—of finally getting acquainted with the blond—actually sent tingles of anticipation and excitement down his spine. It's rare for him to show interest in anything at all, and Sephiroth understood that his friends have no doubt notice this anomaly in his behavior and therefore are all seemingly so invested in getting him and Cloud to meet up. Their little plan—which Sephiroth have no doubts whatsoever was the joint collaboration between Zack and Genesis as the masterminds, with Angeal only going along with them—had been transparent since the first message that Zack had sent him.

The message went like this: _Hi, Seph! Heard that you got dispatched on another mission again. Shame that you couldn't be around to meet Cloud, who is like ten kinds awesome and SO cool and lovable! You would have liked him, dunno if he would like you though! XD Even Gen and Angeal like him, and are always hanging around my place now. Cloud just has that charm which I guess you have to meet him to understand! See ya when you come back to Midgar, do drop by, gotta go now, can't leave Cloud with Gen for too long, he's too adorable for words, and Gen will no doubt smother him with hugs!—Zack._

And if that hadn't clued him in, then the numerous messages and pictures that both Genesis and Zack have been sending him would have gave them away.

Deciding that he would in fact take the chance to meet Cloud tonight, Sephiroth was about to say that he would go to the dinner when his office phone rang.

Zack gave a mumbled curse at the phone disrupting them as Sephiroth moved to pick it up.

"Sephiroth." He answered in affirmative. "Sir. Yes, yes, no. Tonight? But—" Whatever Sephiroth wanted to say was cut off by the caller on the other side, and after a moment, he scrunched his eyes shut, visibly chagrined, and gritted out, "I understand. Yes, sir." He then slammed the receiver back into place and let out a long, suffering sigh.

"Who is it?" Angeal asked.

Sighing again, Sephiroth replied, "Sorry Zack, tell Strife that I won't be attending dinner after all. It seems that President Shinra is having another one of his dinner events tonight and it's _compulsory_ that I attend it."

Zack swore profusely in his mind. _Damn, there goes another chance of getting both of them to meet one another! _But understanding that Sephiroth had no choice in the matter, he merely nodded. "It can't be help, I'll tell Cloud." After a pause, he took out his phone and said: "I better tell him now before he decides to cook too much." Pressing the speed dial for Cloud's mobile, Zack pauses and waits for Cloud to pick up. Beside him, Genesis was prodding at him with one finger, exclaiming in a scandalized tone: "Wait, what? Cloud has a phone? Why didn't you ever tell me about it before?"

He sounded like a petulant child, but Zack was even more childish as he gave Genesis a smug look and stuck out his tongue at the Commander. Beside both of them, Angeal sighed at their antics.

"Why you—" Genesis was about to say exactly what he thought of Zack's actions when the man shushed him hurriedly and said: "Hello? Cloud?" Almost instantly, Sephiroth's senses seemed to be all finely tuned onto the muffled sound of Cloud's voice coming through Zack's mobile speaker.

"No, no, nothing's wrong. Just calling to tell you that apparently Sephiroth won't be able to make it to dinner tonight. Hmm? No, it's just that he needs to attend a dinner, so don't overcook." Cloud must have made some sarcastic but good humored jibe at Zack's appetite, because the next second, Zack's face was flushed with embarrassment and his mouth was twitching into a smile even as he groaned: "Oh, come on! I don't eat _that _much! Fine, fine. Don't forget my potato patties!" With another sharp bark of laughter, Zack shook his head slowly, his expression fond as he replied, "Alright, alright, I'll stop disturbing your cooking process then. I'll be back soon, bye!"

Flipping his phone shut, Zack gave Sephiroth a look, which he thinks was supposed to be significant in some way, but the meaning was entire lost on the silver-haired man. "It's your loss, you know." Zack said.

Sephiroth just lowered his head and continued reading the file, but his mind chimed: _I know_.

Feeling a sudden pang in his heart, Sephiroth resisted the urge to sigh, aware of how he was once again under the subtle but keen scrutiny of his three comrades, and decided to just forget about the whole thing as he threw himself back into his paperwork.

~End Chapter~

A/N: Not much going on in this chapter, but still, hope you guys liked it! For those who are also following my VK fic PFaD, the next chapter will be up soon! Sorry for the delay, again…=="

Anyway, please read and review~! They make my day! =)


	9. Chapter 8 A Brief Interlude

**Sky Metamorphosis**

**Chapter 8.5—A Brief Interlude**

Sephiroth tugged at the collar of his suit, the level of his irritation rising rapidly as he continued to pretend to be interested and paying attention to all the people and their inane inquiries and chattering around him.

Deciding that enough was enough, Sephiroth excused himself with a borderline polite excuse, his tone just that slightly frosty. It was a tone that he had perfected over the years, and he knew that any person with even a small sense of perseverance would know to leave him alone whenever he used that certain kind of voice. Leaving the group of politicians along with their flirty plus ones, Sephiroth was glad to be leaving them, as the men just talked to him endlessly, obviously trying to get on his good side; and the women were all giggly and flirty, clinging to him unnecessarily and asking about his personal life.

Picking up a glass of champagne from a nearby waiter, Sephiroth wished, more than once, that the liquor served at the dinner party was one that was heavier; he would literally kill for a glass of vodka.

He swiftly made his way to as secluded spot in a corner of the ballroom. Past experiences had him knowing that the glow and shade of the chandelier above, coupled with the way the curtains were hung, would ensure that he would be completely blocked completely from other patrons' view. However, it doesn't hinder him from seeing everything and everyone in the room, which serves as the perfect hiding spot. Furthermore, it's close to the big, ornate doors, and Sephiroth could leave the party discretely whenever he wanted to.

He took a languish sip of the champagne, and leaned back against the wall, one of his hands reaching up to loosen his bowtie as he did so. He hated such formal wear, as it made him feel caged and completely on the edge. He would have been content to wear his usual leather coat, trousers and boots, but the president had been adamant that he wore a suit, claiming that there were a lot of prominent and powerful people attending the event, and that he needed the great General of the army to be presentable.

_Presentable. _Sephiroth wished, once again, that he were anywhere but here, because it was just so boring and a great waste of time. Not to mention, he had to be paraded around and swooned over like he was some kind of trophy, and that more than irritated him, it made him almost itching to cut someone down. He detested being stared and gawked at—he wasn't a display, for god's sake—and he almost desperately wanted other people to start seeing him as a normal human being and not some kind of super-human or warrior. The thought sent a sharp pang through his heart, and he exhaled slowly, willing himself to just stop feeling so morose and self-pitying.

Again, he wished that he could leave, but he had a speech slotted at the end of the party, and his absence would surely be noted. He knew it was done deliberately, and he cursed President Shinra's cunningness.

He found himself hoping that he was able to be at Zack's apartment at the moment, rather than hiding in shady corners while shunning throngs of admirers and people he didn't know. It would definitely be more fun, that was sure, and the company would be infinitely better too. Because while he didn't mention it often, Zack, Angeal and Genesis were not only his comrades and colleagues, they were also his best friends, and could almost be considered as his family. He would rather spend time with them, and if their praises were to be believed, the food would also be much more delicious.

Which brought his thoughts straight to Cloud Strife, and Sephiroth was more than a little bit frustrated with himself, because he had been trying (and failing spectacularly) to stop thinking about the blond cadet, but for some reason, his thoughts just kept turning back to the trainee.

Never before had he been so occupied and almost obsessed about a person, and he had never took interest in socializing before, but something about Strife just made him so compelling, and for once in his life, Sephiroth found that he genuinely wanted to get to know the cadet better, and also, for some odd reason, be close to the blond.

Shaking his head at the anomaly of his emotions, Sephiroth couldn't help but be perplexed at himself for feeling so much. He wasn't used to having so many emotions, and it made him both confused and a bit wary.

His name was called, and he was jolted from his thoughts as he saw President Shinra beckoning him over impatiently. It must have been time for him to give his speech.

Pulling his mask of a stoic figure back in place, he straightened up and walked out of his secluded corner. His thoughts were a jumble together, his mind still half preoccupied by Strife and his odd behavior, and there it was again, a choked feeling in the midst of his chest, as if his heart was struggling to contain all the clashing emotions.

He strode forward, a striking figure of cold authority and strong presence, and he thought to himself: _Best not think about it._

~SxC~

After nearly a week of simultaneously evading Zack, Genesis and even Angeal's prodding of him to meet Cloud via various suggestions of gathering, dinners, lunch and even breakfast at Zack's apartment; and also a week of almost secluding himself to the office and burying himself in paperwork, Sephiroth finally decided that enough was enough, and came to a realization that he was being childishly and deliberately difficult and obtuse, and that this kind of behavior would not be going on for much longer.

He hadn't wanted to give any thought to the matter, and Sephiroth suspected that this action in itself was already an answer to his unvoiced and unacknowledged question, which has been lingering around in his mind for quite some time now.

So, at the end of the seventh day of shunning Zack, he went home early and pulled out a large bottle of _very_ strong whiskey, and proceeded to _try_ to get himself drunk. It was notoriously difficult to get fully trained and high ranking Soldiers drunk, partly due to the fact that they were trained even in alcohol and drugs tolerance, but mostly because of the large amount of mako injected into their system periodically over the months. The mako enhanced everything, down to their metabolism, and any alcohol consume would almost be entirely burnt off by the mako in their body. The higher the dosage or percentage of mako in a person's body, the faster he or she would be able to burn off the alcohol.

And seeing that he was one of the people with the highest degree of mako tolerance, the amount of mako in his body was insanely high, and Sephiroth had never succeeded in getting even slightly tipsy.

But still, it didn't stop him from trying though. At one point, when he drank gulp after gulp of whiskey without pausing for nearly a minute, he lowered the bottle, only to find himself feeling an odd sense of dizziness and his eyesight even blurred for a second. But then of course, he was back to being fully alert again. He knew he would have a dreadful headache in the morning (somehow, mako burning off alcohol at high rate would toil on the body, and this doesn't exempt the trying-to-get-pissed-drunk person from feeling a killer headache which would be somewhat like a hangover on the second day).

Brief though his drunkenness might be, the fleeting sensation was enough to bring forth a clarifying epiphany for the silver haired general.

And when he woke up the next morning, groaning as he did so at the pounding in his head, he knew of three things instantly when he opened his eyes, orbs almost steel grey in colour, and shining with firm determination.

First, he was _definitely_ interested in Cloud Strife.

Second, there was no denying that he _really_ wanted to meet Strife in person.

And lastly, he would make sure that his first meeting with Cloud would be absolutely _perfect_.

~End Interlude~

A/N: This is a very, very short chapter, but it offers a small insight into Sephiroth and what he's thinking about. I hope that you guys enjoyed it! I'm fast forwarding the story a bit, so when the next chapter starts, it will be starting from the week after which Sephiroth has his epiphany, Cloud will have had more training, and Sephiroth will be trying to figure out the best way to meet Cloud. But of course, Cloud never makes it easy for Sephiroth. *giggles evilly*

I'm back in Uni now, but hopefully I can squeeze more updates soon in the future! Anyway, read and review! They make my day!


	10. Chapter 9

**Sky Metamorphosis**

A/N: Thank you for all the consistent support and reviews and alerts and favs, even though I haven't been good in updating at all. I suppose I've been a bit too immersed lately in the Glee fandom, but rest assured, I'll not leave this story hanging.

Thanks again for all the support, and though a bit short, with nothing major going on, I still hope that you guys enjoy this chapter! 3

P.S: Fic is unbeta-ed. Sorry for any mistakes!

**Chapter 9**

Sephiroth slipped into the observation deck after making sure that there wasn't anyone inside. He knew that in ten minutes time, Zack would be training with Cloud inside this training hall, and since he was actually free for once, he decided to pop in to have a look.

Of course, he knew that was just part of the excuse. He didn't even fully understand why he's there at the moment, hiding like a creep to catch a glimpse of a boy he's never talked to before. But he just wanted so much to see Cloud, and there was a curious ache in his heart and stomach for a whole week now, him being unable to take time off from work and missing not once, but four chances of meeting the cadet.

He's pretty sure that Zack was actually pissed off at him, thinking that Sephiroth was deliberately trying to get out of meeting the blond. Even Angeal had frowned at him the last time he declined an invitation to dinner, and Angeal was the most stoic and sensible of them all.

His friends might not know it, but Sephiroth was actually getting pretty desperate to meet the boy. The amount of yearning he felt regarding this matter was shocking, and Sephiroth had never felt this way ever.

He sighed, the soft sound echoing in the empty room. Beneath him, the door to the hall opened, and a shock of wild blond hair was visible as Cloud popped into the training hall. Cloud placed his duffel bag on top of a bench at the side, and began to stretch, warming up his body.

Cloud was wearing a dark green hoodie along with simple cargo pants. On his feet he had on the standard cadet combat boots, and on his hands he wore fingerless black gloves. The boy looked very handsome, and Sephiroth just sat down on a chair and observed to his heart's content.

It had been nearly two weeks since he last saw Cloud, the last time being when he carried the boy back to his room, and Sephiroth found himself eagerly taking in and cataloguing every single detail, committing Cloud's image to memory. Cloud had taken his hoodie off now, having finished warming up, revealing a grey tank top inside. The fabric clung to the boy's body like a second glove, and Sephiroth could easily see the outline of Cloud's lithe body, as his gaze then swept over toned arms and slim waist.

Cloud looked well.

From what he had heard from Zack, Cloud's fully recovered now, even though the cadet had yet to fully regain back his previous strength and physique. Cloud was also rapidly catching up on all the subjects he needed to study on, using his free time whenever there's no physical training to study. Aside from that, Cloud's training was also getting along very well. Zack had observed that as Cloud's body got progressively better, his skills in combat training and also sword fighting had also improved rapidly. Also, after letting Cloud try out a variety of weapons, Zack realized that the cadet was really more suited using swords, and they had begun to focus on honing that particular skill.

Cloud took a simple broad sword off the weapons wall, and began to exercise his movements. The boy parried and swung at an imaginary opponent, swooping down the sword and then swiftly slicing it upwards in a single motion. Sephiroth was transfixed. Cloud was nimble on his feet, and his hand was deft as he quickly worked through the basics, and moved on to more complex moves.

The blond was gorgeous. The way he yield his sword was a lot like dancing, his motions infused with an amount of grace that was simply too alluring to ignore. Sephiroth wondered what it would be like to be the opponent on the tip of Cloud's sword. It would definitely be an unforgettable experience.

Cloud was clearly a natural, and though his skills were still considerably average, it's easy to see that he's able to wield the sword as if it was merely just a limb on his body. There was no discomfort or hesitation. It was like Cloud had fully embodied and merged with the sword itself, and that was a rare sight indeed. Most competent warriors used and treated their weapons like an ally. And even that was after years and years of honing their skills and training to the best of their ability. It's not usual to see someone treat their weapon as if it's part of them, an ability that Cloud clearly had.

Sephiroth didn't realize that his breathing had slowed and his gaze intense as his whole focus was now completely aimed on Cloud.

All of a sudden, Cloud twitched, and the sword that was cutting through the air paused. Then Cloud's looking around the room, frowning as he did so. After a moment, he mumbled something to himself and picked up where he left off, swinging his sword again and resuming his movements.

Sephiroth blinked, concentration lost. That was really weird. Cloud seemed to have sensed that someone was watching him, and his body automatically gave a kneejerk response. But that shouldn't be possible. Usually only those with keen senses and years of training would be able to pick up on a person's gaze or aura, and that was also only when the other person was in close proximity. Not only was Cloud not at that particular level of skill, Sephiroth was also at some distance away from him.

There had only been three people who had been able to sense his presence—Zack, Angeal, and Genesis. They were able to sense one another as long as the other was nearby, even if they were inside a room or a building. Genesis had attributed this strangeness to the fact that they were very close to one another, in which Zack had quipped that they had formed an 'emotional bond'.

Sephiroth had blandly said: "What on Gaia did I do last time that I have to be emotionally bonded to you and Genesis?"

Zack had refused to talk to him for a week. It was a pretty fond memory though.

Sephiroth tilted his head, his silver tresses falling around his shoulders and tickling his arms. Again, he focused on Cloud, zooming in on the boy, and sure enough, the next moment, Cloud jerked, and swung around, head scanning the room with an almost paranoid look on his face.

Sephiroth's eyes widened, but his lips quirked into a smile. This was fascinating. Normally, when he didn't wish to be detected, even Zack, Genesis and Angeal would experience a bit of haziness and difficulty when they tried to 'detect' him. However, despite him clearly not wanting to be found, Cloud had immediately sensed his presence.

This was refreshing, and something completely new. Sephiroth wondered when Cloud would cease to endlessly surprise him.

The cadet was really too intriguing to ignore. And while Sephiroth tried not to stare, he just couldn't help it, and little did he know that Cloud was feeling pinpricks crawling up all over his back.

Sephiroth watched as Cloud gave a roll of his shoulders, and then walked back to where his bag was, pulling out a bottle of water and drinking from it. The blond was still casting suspicious looks around the room, but he didn't once look up, because cadets didn't know that all the training halls actually had observation decks.

Zack chose that exact moment to barge in, slamming the door close even as he strode forward and pulled Cloud into a tight hug, ruffling his hair as he did so. Sephiroth watched on, amused, as Zack chatted with Cloud for a moment, before motioning Cloud to go over the weapons wall.

Cloud just shook his head fondly before he turned and walked away. It was then that Zack swerved his head and looked up, raising a finger to his eyes before pointing right back to the hidden observation deck. Sephiroth knew that Zack had sensed him, and he chuckled.

Zack just shook his head, mouth moving as he most probably muttered curses underneath his breath. Sephiroth reached forward to press a button, turning on the speakers. He could now hear everything from the training hall.

Leaning back into his chair, Sephiroth crossed his fingers and a smile spread across his face. He can't wait to see Cloud training against Zack.

Zack's voice sounded through the speakers, clear and tinged with amusement. "Well, Cloud, let's get this show started, shall we?"

* * *

Angeal walked into the office he shared with Genesis, frowning as he did so.

Genesis was sprawled in his armchair, feet crossed and planted on the desk, reading from a copy of Loveless that was propped up on his legs.

He looked up when Angeal came in. "What happened?"

"Sephiroth wasn't in his office. Which is pretty weird seeing that he's usually stuck inside it nowadays."

Genesis scoffed. "That's an understatement. He works too much. Zack's starting to get angry at him."

Angeal just sighed. "Let's just hope that everything works out. I wouldn't want another repeat of that incident two years ago. Remember when Sephiroth and Zack full out dueled for nearly five hours under the rain and terrorizing away everyone?"

Genesis closed his book with a sharp snap even as an attractive but naughty smirk played on his lips. "Speak for yourself. I would be eating popcorn and cheering them on by the side. Maybe I'll even kidnap Cloud away from Zack if he's too preoccupied with fighting to notice it. Do you reckon our apartment can take in another person? We can let Cloud sleep in the guest room."

Angeal resisted the urge to flick his pen at his red-haired friend. "For the last time, Gen, you can't steal Cloud away from Zack. He's Cloud's mentor, and that precedes everything else."

Genesis clearly didn't hold the same principles as him, because the next moment, Angeal's hand was up and clutching a ballpen that the other commander had thrown at him.

"Very mature." He deadpanned.

Genesis just rolled his eyes. "Can't blame a man for trying. Still, just because Zack is mentor, this doesn't mean that Cloud has to stay with him. Besides, think of how wonderful it would be if Cloud stayed with us! And then there's the bonus of pissing Zack off."

"Do it then, but I'm not cleaning up after your mess. You and Zack and Seph can just go and battle it all out. I'll just stand by and wait until all three of you drop dead."

Genesis gasped, clutching a hand to his heart in mock horror. "I'm so wounded! To think that you are so heartless that you would rather watch me die than help me. Me! Your best friend that you've practically known since forever!"

Genesis could have gone on to a full blown tirade, and Angeal thanked all the gods above when the man's phone chimed, effectively putting a stop to his dramatic narration.

Genesis took a look at his phone, and the wide grin that broke out on his face spelled nothing but trouble.

"Zack just texted me. Apparently, our dear Sephiroth was absent because he's down spying on Cloud in the observation deck in the T7 training hall."

This time, Angeal was up and out of the door following Genesis without any prompting needed.

Even he could admit that he's more than interested to see how this all played out.

* * *

Sephiroth could hear the door opening and shutting. He didn't move, eyes remained close as he sat in the chair, legs crossed at the knees. A chair was pulled up beside him, and the person sat down beside him.

"I was surprised that you're here." Zack said.

Sephiroth hummed. He was still replaying the image of Cloud parrying Zack's attacks blow by blow in his mind. The way Cloud's vivid blue eyes were darkened in concentration, how that spiky blond hair framed his face. The way Cloud's limbs danced, the muscles in his arms flexing and bulging as he swung the sword and his feet laying out the intricate footwork for different sets of sparring styles.

Zack poked at him, and Sephiroth's eyes opened. "Zack." He berated gently.

Zack grinned. "Come on, Seph. Spill."

Sephiroth sighed. He was definitely not getting out of this one. "Fine." He said. After a moment of silence, he continued on, voice lowered. "To be honest, I'm surprised that I'm here too."

Zack's grin had taken on an almost unbearable smugness, and Sephiroth fought the urge to hit the man.

Leaning forward, Zack asked: "Tell me, Seph. How long have you actually wanted to meet Cloud?"

Sephiroth glared at him. But as usual, it had zero effect on Zack Fair, and the man just smiled back at him.

Breathing in, and then out. Once. Twice.

Sephiroth closed his eyes and replied: "Pretty much since the beginning, actually."

The next moment Zack had sprung up on his feet and was dragging Sephiroth into a tight hug.

"I knew it! I knew it! I knew you wouldn't be able to resist my cute, wonderful Cloud!"

"What? Did Sephiroth finally confessed his undying love for _my_ adorable Cloud? I must say that I don't approve. Cloud's far too good for Sephy here."

Zack swerved around even as Sephiroth scowled.

"Gen! Angeal! Oh, you guys came at just the right time!" Zack was practically vibrating with barely concealed glee and excitement. Sephiroth just felt an impending headache.

Thankfully, Angeal spoke up. "Calm down, pup. Don't get too excited, and just tell us what's going on."

"Well, Sephiroth just confessed that he pretty much wanted to meet Cloud ever since the beginning. Isn't that adorable?"

Genesis let out a noise that sounded almost like a very manly version of a squeal. "Really? Wow, not that's what I call progress. From one cool, almost emotionless SOLDIER into a soulful, love-filled human being in one day. We can bottle this kind of miracle up and sell it for a fortune!"

Angeal let out a chortle. There was even a playful glint in the usually cool and calm man's eyes.

Sephiroth glared. "If the three of you could quit nattering on like mindless idiots and getting all worked up over nothing, then we can proceed with this conversation much more smoothly." He said icily.

The three of them looked at him, and burst out laughing. Sephiroth should feel indignant, but he found himself amused and just that slightly embarrassed instead. It was refreshing.

"Fine, then. What have you to say for yourself?" Angeal asked, smiling.

"First. _Yes_, I'm quite interested in Strife. The cadet is interesting, even though I've absolutely no idea why." Sephiroth replied.

"And second. I am NOT in love with him. I'm just intrigued, that's all. So if all of you could stop acting like sixteen year old matchmakers with a penchant for giggling, I would be very grateful for it."

"And lastly, do not attempt to set me up with Strife. I won't have you guys meddling. I will naturally, meet with him. However, I'm far too busy now to even consider mindless socializing, though I promise that I'll meet him, on my own time."

"Do all of you understand me, then?" Sephiroth asked.

Angeal nodded in acquiescence, but both Zack and Genesis seemed far less pleased with what he had said, both looking as though they had much more to protest. Sephiroth glared at them, "Zack, Genesis. Don't. Just don't. Understand?"

The three of them glared at one another, but finally, Zack exchanged an exasperated look with Genesis, and Sephiroth knew that he had won.

Genesis scrunched his face in displeasure. "I don't like it, but yes, I understand. You're being a major pain in the ass as usual, Seph, sucking off all the fun and joy in our lives like an irritating leech."

Zack just shrugged. "Well, I'm just glad that you aren't avoiding Cloud or anything. I really think you'll like him once you get to know him." _He could very good for you_. Zack silently added in his mind.

"I'm not. I'm just too busy."

Zack nodded. "Fine, fine, I won't nag you." Leaning against the console, he asked, "So, what do you think? After seeing Cloud in action, I mean."

"He's really as good as you say, that's no denying it. He's a complete natural in sword fighting, and it's easy to see from the fluidity in his movements that he would be similarly talented in not only hand-to-hand combat, but any combat-scenarios. If properly trained, he would turn out to be one hell of a SOLDIER." Sephiroth mused.

Beaming with pride, Zack's eyes sparkled as he gushed, "He's good, isn't he? Told you that my intuition is correct."

"Well, seeing that even Sephiroth here is singing praises about my wonderful Cloud, I really must take some time off to watch him, or even better, train him." Genesis said.

Angeal nodded in agreement.

"As much as I can go on to extol all of Cloud's incredible show of talent, there's something that I think would interest all of you even more." Sephiroth said, lips twitching up into a ghost of a smile.

Three pairs of eyes looked at him in interest.

Looking right back, Sephiroth said: "He can sense me."

"What?" Was the baffled response by all of them.

"Are you certain?" Angeal asked.

Sephiroth nodded, "Yes. Before Zack came, I was watching him. And whenever I paid special attention to him, he can sense me, his whole body twitched and he started looking around suspiciously. And Zack, surely you noticed that he seemed more jumpy than usual in today's training?"

Zack tilted his head as he thought about it. "Well, yeah. But I thought that he was just nervous, or something. But this actually explains a lot. He did seem a bit off today."

"And there you have it. He can sense me. Not really very accurately, only when I'm concentrating on him, but still, his reflex and instincts are naturally good."

Genesis let out a low whistle. "God, that's a feat even by itself. I don't think that normal people could sense you, could they?"

Shaking his head, Sephiroth replied: "No. They usually can't. Not unless I deliberately release my aura to intimidate them or alert them."

"This is really sort of freaking me out in a very good way. Cloud can actually _sense_ Sephiroth—I'm still trying to wrap my mind around that one." Zack breathed out.

"Did you notice him sensing anyone else then?" Angeal asked.

"No. Cloud has really good reflexes, and he can tell that someone is behind him pretty quickly, but he hasn't really shown signs of _sensing_ other people. He can't sense me, for sure. I can mask my presence and creep up on him, and he won't notice a thing. He can always feel me staring though, but I guess that's normal for everyone." Zack said.

"Does this mean that Sephiroth is special then?" Genesis remarked, a smirk on his face.

"I suppose so." Zack quipped. "It's just amazing that Cloud could sense Sephiroth, the most impossibly hard man to notice, when he can't sense anyone else that are definitely easier to detect."

The three of them were looking at him again with similar looks of unveiled interest and amusement on their faces.

"This does seem serendipitous to me." Angeal said.

Both Genesis and Zack nodded in sync, it was almost creepy.

"Very, very _serendipitous_ indeed." Genesis drawled.

~*END CHAPTER*~

A/N: Finally, finally! Next chapter will finally be when Sephiroth and Cloud meet! There's definitely a twist there somewhere on how the fated first meeting will go~ Also, more details about Cloud's bullying finally comes to light. XD

Also, please read and review! They make my day~! 3


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